


𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 · 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬

by sinfulshelbys



Category: Peaky Blinders, Peaky Blinders (TV), peaky blinders imagines - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Peaky Blinders Fusion, F/M, Inspired By Peaky Blinders, Peaky Blinders References, Reader Is A Shelby (Peaky Blinders), The Garrison Pub (Peaky Blinders), The Peaky Blinders - Freeform, evelyn shelby/alfie solomons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:08:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23762845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinfulshelbys/pseuds/sinfulshelbys
Relationships: Alfie Solomons/Original Character(s), Alfie Solomons/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 68
Collections: Peaky Blinders





	1. Chapter 1

𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 | ❝ in a fight they're malicious,   
around each other, they melt.❞ 

━━━ in which evelyn shelby falls for the questionable alfie solomons

[Alfie Solomons x oc]  
Set season 3 era - onwards  
©sinfulserpents


	2. 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞

❝ _I had to fight like hell to be heard and that fighting has made me what I am_.❞

Evelyn Shelby knows that the human mind is truly the scariest thing of all; but she uses hers to her advantage. In a world ruled by her brothers and where she was never taken seriously - Evelyn learnt quick to rely on her bark and to back it up with bite. She is a _Shelby_ after all.

Alfie Solomons never had any intention to find love, especially after the war. A man who was forged from a heavy heart and the horrors of hell definitely didn't intend on falling for a girl who was the definition of an angel in his eyes.

Their love was dangerous - a mask that was made to be pulled away. Yet, they found themselves in a tangled web of lies, violence and an unbreakable bond.

* * *

**main cast**

✧✧✧

𝐤𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐧 as EVELYN SHELBY

_"I'd kill a thousand men before I let one make me his slave."_

𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐲 as ALFIE SOLOMONS

_"Yer' existence gives me a headache, go stand over there."_

𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐲 as TOMMY SHELBY

_"I know me sister like I know me own mind, and these days that's not very well."_

𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢 as WILLIAM FRANK

_"Watch yourself little girl, you're swimming in the deep end now."_

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 as JAMES FRANK

_"Hungry dogs are never loyal."_

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

\- _paul anderson as_ **ARTHUR** **SHELBY**

\- _joe cole as_ **JOHN** **SHELBY**

\- _sophie rundle as_ **ADA** **THORNE** **(** **NÉE** **SHELBY** **)**

\- _harry_ _kirton_ _as_ **FINN** **SHELBY**

\- _helen_ _mccroy_ _as_ **POLLY** **GRAY**

\- _finn cole as_ **MICHAEL** **GRAY**

\- _jordan bolger as_ **ISAIAH** **JESUS**

\- and more

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

** A/N: **

_i will be playing around and changing the plot of the show a little bit to better suit my story, my apologies. i do not own any characters or plot lines from the show, only my own._

**Copyright © 2020 by** **sinfulserpents**

**All rights reserved.**


	3. 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦, 𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟐

Disaster blankets the Shelby family, like the morning fog that surrounds them as they make their way down to the cut.

There, stood on the edge of the canal, was the fifth youngest Shelby sibling. Her light blue dress stained with dots of crimson, head looking up towards the gloomy sky as her fingertips dripped blood. The air was tense, nobody but the eldest Shelby taking a few hesitant steps towards the girl.

"Eve," he reluctantly spoke, voice teetering on the edge of a whisper. From his position he could see the lifeless body of a man floating in the water in front of the girl, tears falling freely down her flushed cheeks. "Charlie came and got us from the Garrison, said he saw you shoot some lad."

Evelyn didn't respond, but she did turn around to face Arthur; it was then that he caught sight of the barrel of a gun between her fingers – she noticed his eyes dart to her hand and dropped the weapon. Her legs were trembling, so much so that she wasn't sure how she was still standing upright.

The hoarse voice of Tommy Shelby echoed throughout the area around them, his glamorous blue eyes staring directly at his sister. "Who was he?" Straight to the point.

"A traitor," was all the girl spoke, her brown curls now fallen from the pins that previous held them away from her face; the wind causing strands to get stuck to her damp tears.

"What'd he do?"

There was no hidden questions behind Thomas' words; he just wanted a straight, honest answer from her. With a sigh, Evelyn wiped her face before wrapping her arms around herself – the air suddenly becoming cooler; chills coating her body.

"Back when you were in France," she started, eyes briefly meeting Tom's piercing gaze before they settled to staring at her shoes. "This group of wanna be Peaky's tried to betray Polly and I and take over the business. We took most of 'em out before you came home, didn't get all of 'em though. Found that fucker creeping around Charlie's yard. I did what we always do."

With a nod Tommy walked over to his sister, shrugging his coat off before placing it around her shoulders. His thumbs found her wet cheeks, gently brushing away the tracks that were left behind by her salty tears; his knees bending slightly so he could meet her blue eyes with his.

"Did he hurt you?" Tommy muttered, referring to the scuffle Evelyn had recently got herself in – voice so soft that nobody else could hear his question. Evelyn briefly smiled at his concern before it dropped off her face.

"He got a few hits in," she confirmed, pointing to a bruise forming on her neck. "You should see his face though."

The Shelby siblings shared a collective laugh at Evelyn's ability to remain witty under such a circumstance. Pulling his sister into his side by her shoulders, Tommy held his other arm wide open – turning them to face a crooked smiling John Shelby, an awkward Finn Shelby and a sheepish Charlie Strong.

"Let's go get drunk and plan to take over the Derby, eh," Tommy chuffed, everyone cracking a smile when Evelyn buried her head in her brothers chest. "Charlie will take care of the mess and then join us."

~~~~~~~

The war had done a number on the soldiers who had returned, their only escape being through the alcohol that coursed through their veins. Therefore, no matter the hour, when the Garrison pub was open it was sure to be buzzing with laughter, booze and the occasional fight.

The regular pub goers were always the most lively, their loud voices chanting random songs that they had put together while raising their liquor filled glasses in the air. Newcomers enjoyed the atmosphere, often staying until the early hours of the morning until the barman, Harry, decided to lock the place up – kicking them out.

The Shelby's were practically considered royalty in the damn place – they could do what they wanted, drink what they wanted and say whatever spilled from between their lips with a little bit of liquid courage. Which is why Arthur was currently stood on top of the bar, demanding the attention of everyone with a loud yell.

"A toast to a strong Shelby woman!" He gestured his cup towards Evelyn, a light blush colouring her face when everyone simultaneously turned their heads in her direction. It would have been creepy, if she too wasn't slightly intoxicated from the whiskey in her hand. "Some fuckers thought that they could try to take over our bloody business, but thank god we have tough women, eh?!"

A cheer of encouragement spurred from the crowd that was paying attention to the eldest Shelby; none of them noticing him almost losing his footing. _Twice_. With a quick rush, Tommy gestured for Arthur to get down, shaking his head while scolding him.

"Get off the fucking bar, Arthur," he pleaded, trying to keep a stoic expression – gritting his teeth to stop the smile that was begging to grow across his face from doing so.

Arthur let out a disgruntled moan at Tommy's request, before using his brothers shoulder for support while he clambered down off the counter with a whine of "ah, c'mon Tom."

Mindlessly twirling her drink in her hand, Evelyn's eyes floated across the pub before they glanced at each of her brothers. She knew that they had left for the war innocent men and returned haunted by demons that she couldn't possibly understand.

Both her and her aunt Polly had previously tried to grasp just how much the Shelby brothers witnessed and participated in had affected them, but miserably failed. The older woman explaining to Evelyn that they both could _"barely comprehend the pain that they're suffering with alone right now. When they want help – they'll come to us."_

The young girl was just happy to see smiles on their faces; even if they were due to being drunk

"You turn twenty-bloody-one in two days," John slung his arms around his sisters shoulders from behind, his chin coming to rest upon her shoulder as he lead them both into the private room. "Fuckin' remember when you were nothing more than a baby wailing your eyes out just to be held. Now look at yer'! A full grown Shelby woman!"

"We all have to grow up at some point, Johnny boy," Evelyn beamed, her hands gripping her brothers as the rest of the Shelby clan joined in on their conversation.

"Pretty soon you'll be married to some lad, livin' in a posh house and will barely come to visit us," Arthur joked, moving to take a seat next to his sister. "Don't get up the duff like Ada and run away from us."

Evelyn's heart stung at the memory of her older sister. Ada had left for London after her husband had passed, taking her nephew with her – only keeping in contact through letters to Polly and the occasional phone call. However, she rolled her eyes at John's drunken words, swiftly swatting his shoulder.

"Arthur!"

With a hearty laugh from her siblings, John pressed a kiss to his sisters temple, grabbing the gin bottle from Tommy's hand – the older brother letting out a groan of protest. John pointed the end of the bottle towards Evelyn.

"I don't know what'd I'd do if you fuckin' ran away from us. Break my heart, you would."

"I'm not going to run away, John."

The youngest Shelby, Finn, took that moment to enter the conversation; a smug look on his face. "So yer' going to get pregnant then?"

His older brothers didn't miss a beat collectively chiming a "fuck off, Finn."

With a pointed gaze towards Finn, Evelyn picked her glass back up; lifting it to her lips before taking a gulp. The burn helped her remain alert to the conversation going on around her – well, more specifically, _about_ her. 

"We should host a gathering for your birthday," Tommy proposed, lighting his cigarette before leaning back in his chair. Evelyn shook her head.

"I don't need a fuckin' party, Tom."

"Well, good thing you don't have much choice in the matter."

Rolling her eyes, Evelyn took the bottle of gin that John was holding, hitting him upside the head for drinking straight from it; pouring some into her glass.

"Aren't you going to be in London for business that day?" She raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Yes, but that's none of your concern. Arthur, John and I have everything under control," he shook his head, tapping his cigarette over the ashtray. "You're all going to come to London with me, stay with Ada while I do business and then we're going to The Eden Club."

"Tom," Arthur piped up, weariness in his voice. "Yer' sure that's a good idea? How bout yer' just bring Ada back with ya and we celebrate right here in the Garrison."

Tommy held a hand up to silence Arthur. "No need, I already sorted everything out. The pub is ours for the night."

With a grunt, Arthur nodded once before picking up his glass, raising it towards everyone before downing the alcohol in one gulp.

"I want all of yer' to dress up to the nines, aye," Tommy grinned, pointing the end of his cigarette towards Evelyn. "Wear that dress – the one that mum used to wear. It's a special occasion and we're all going to fucking celebrate."

Reluctantly agreeing, Evelyn slumped back in her seat, head resting against John's shoulder, her other hand gripping Finn's that was rested in his lap.

"Welcome to the new decade boys," she chuckled, her eyes shutting. "It's going to be a fucking ride."


	4. 𝐨𝐧𝐞

𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟒

 **THE POISONED TASTE OF** tobacco from the cigarette in-between Evelyn's lips calmed her unsettled nerves as her crystal blue eyes glanced around the ballroom. She watched as people danced, men swinging women around in circles – her brothers bustling around with smiles on their faces. It was a rare sight.

Evelyn's nephews; Karl and Charlie, were perched on her knees as she mindlessly bounced both boys up and down, getting lost in her own thoughts. Tommy had invited the whole family and many benefactors to his wife Grace's charity ball –and the party was certainly in full swing.

Ever since she was young, Evelyn hated galas. She wasn't sure what triggered this utter loathing for an event that was meant to be full of joy; perhaps it was a repressed memory from her childhood – but all she knew is that she couldn't stand attending them. This being the reason that she had taken it upon herself to nanny her nephews for the night at the back of the room.

"Eve," a calming voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts; her aunt Polly. Plucking the cigarette out of her nieces lips, the older woman stomped it out under her new high heels before picking Charlie up off Evelyn's lap. "Here, put Karl on his feet."

Doing as instructed, Evelyn lifted Karl and placed the young boy on the ground as he waddled over to grab Polly's outstretched hand. With a gentle sigh, Evelyn stood up at her aunts impatient expression, brushing back pieces of her curled brown locks that had fallen over her eyes. 

"Go grab yourself a drink," Polly muttered, nodding towards the bar at the back of the room. "Preferably something strong, you look like I just fed your poor soul horse shit."

A genuine laugh spurred from the young Shelby's lips and with a wave to her nephews, she walked over to the bar; her green dress fanning out behind her. Tommy's house was luxurious, with as many rooms and hallways as a palace – Evelyn knew if she tried to escape the ballroom she would easily get lost.

With that thought in mind, Evelyn ordered herself a whiskey – the bartender immediately pouring her drink when he saw who asked. His hand shook a little as he placed the half-filled glass in front of her, but a overly happy smile beamed on his face. 

"For you Miss. Shelby," he praised her name and if Evelyn wasn't paying close attention she wouldn't have noticed the slight tremor in his voice. Picking her glass up, Evelyn slightly tipped it to the man, watching the small beads of sweat begin to gather along his hairline. Evelyn brushed it off to him being nervous around a Shelby who he knew could definitely kill him if she wanted to.

"Thank you, Mr..." She trailed off, waiting for him to introduce himself.

The man was handsome and couldn't be too much older than Evelyn who was a mere twenty-three. His curly hair was unruly and stuck out in all directions and his brown eyes shone under the dim lights. Evelyn would've found him attractive, if she had time for romance.

"Frank," the boy stuttered, his American accent noticeable as he nodded in her direction. "My name's William Frank, Miss."

"Well, thank you Mr. Frank."

William offered Evelyn a quick grin, before rushing away to serve a balding man at the end of the bar. Picking up the glass of whiskey in front of her, Evelyn downed the whole thing in one gulp before slamming it down on the counter; her eyes shutting. She tried to drown out the sound of laughter going on behind her, but it was becoming increasingly harder the more she focused on removing the stimulus. 

"If yer' hold that glass any tighter yer' gonna break the fuckin' thing," Jumping at the sudden voice beside her, Evelyn looked down to her hand gripping the glass that was certainly going to shatter before turning her head setting her sights upon none other than Alfred Solomons himself. There was a hint of a smile behind his beard, a curious gaze in his eyes.

She had heard of the man in passing by her brothers, all of them telling her to steer clear of even mentioning his name – but she had caught sight of him last time he visited Small Heath from her bedroom window.

"Just not the partying type, I guess," the younger girl shrugged, reaching over the bar to grab the bottle of whiskey that William had left. Not even bothering to pour it into her glass, Evelyn took a swig right from the bottle; Alfie raising an eyebrow at her actions.

A hearty chuckle passed his lips as the girl outstretched the bottle towards him, before he shook his head, declining her offer; fingers tapping against the wooden surface of the bar. 

"Nah love, whiskey's for fun and fuckin' innit? Can't say I'm doin' either, eh." He smirked, a bright grin lit up his usually dark features as he watched the girl only shrug in response. "Yer' a Shelby, yeah?"

"Mhm," Evelyn confirmed, her eyes finally meeting Alfie's intense gaze – taking a moment to examine the infamous London gangster.

He wasn't the picture perfect definition of a gentlemen, like the ones she was used to seeing throughout Birmingham; but he was easy on the eyes nonetheless. He wasn't wearing a suit like majority of the pretentious bastards who Grace had invited to the gala, choosing to wear a usual white shirt that he covered with a black vest – his pants were obviously well used from the countless threads dangling at the cut off; shoes scuffed. 

"Right, well, I've heard some interesting things about you, yeah I have," Alfie continued, trying not to smile at the way Evelyn was obviously checking him out – not that he hadn't already done the same to her before he gained the confidence to walk right over to her and start chatting.

The Jew had previously found himself quite bored at the gala Tommy Shelby had invited him to – but the Birmingham gypsy was now his business partner and with that came doing shitty things in turn of earning a favour later down the line – and this was something that Alfie would be able to blackmail Tommy with, if need be.

So after dragging his right-hand man, Ollie, along with him; Alfie found himself standing off to the side of the room, mindlessly chatting to some overly happy chap with an ugly blonde moustache. That was until he caught sight of _her_.

His attention was immediately drawn to the way she swiftly thread through the countless bodies on the dance floor – heading straight towards the bar. The gems that were embroidered into the green silk fabric of the dress that clung to the woman's dainty body took away Alfie's breath – he swore the piece was made for her. She looked absolutely _ravishing_.

Alfie wasn't one to find himself gobsmacked and unable to speak, but he found himself stuttering out a quick "goodbye, fuck off," to the man who was still rambling about his pony and walked directly towards the girl; his eyebrows furrowing at the way she was gripping the glass in her hands and how men at the bar left when she arrived.

It wasn't until he spoke up and her piercing eyes met his that things seemed to click in place. There was only one other person in the whole fucking world who had eyes as blue as hers and that was _Tommy fucking Shelby_. The striking resemblance to his business partner had Alfie stunned before he realised that she was most definitely his sister.

"What interesting things have you heard about me, Mr. Solomons?" Evelyn questioned, raising a pointed eyebrow – the man grinning even wider when he realised that she knew who he was.

"That yer' a fuckin' challenging lil thing, right. They say that your brothers keep you under lock and fuckin' key because you get yourself into all sorts of trouble."

"All sorts of trouble," the girl mused, taking another gulp of whiskey before placing the bottle down onto the countertop. "I learnt how to live in this world because of my aunt, Mr. Solomons."

"Yeah, right then what'd she teach you? Yer' gypsy, yeah? What did she teach yer' spells and curses?"

Evelyn let out a light laugh at the mans words, shaking her head before sending him a pointed look. "My aunt raised me to be a proper lady, Mr. Solomons. I know what forks and spoons I need to use at formal events and when I need to curtsy. But, she didn't raise a bloody fool. I know what artery to stick those forks in to make you bleed out in a matter of seconds."

Alfie found himself beyond a doubt impressed by the woman in front of him. She was a beauty, that much he could confirm in his mind, but there was a darkness beyond her bright eyes that had him intrigued.

Before he could stop himself, Alfie was holding a hand out towards her, causing her pretty features to scrunch up in confusion. 

"Right, listen here," he spoke with as much confidence as he had in him at that moment – Alfie had never found himself so nervous around a woman before. "I'm only going offer this fuckin' once, and if yer' say no then that's that innit."

"What's your offer, Mr. Solomons?" She cut his rambling off, a curious gaze flitting between his face and hand.

"A fuckin' dance. Now yer' can either say yes and we have a fun fuckin' time, or you can turn little ol' Alfie Solomons down and I walk right out of this fuckin' shitty gala and call off the deal with yer' brother. You don't want to be the reason that Tommy loses this alliance, right?"

"Well how can I say no to such a charming gentleman," Evelyn snorted, placing her smaller hand in his; stopping him when he began to lead her to the dance floor. "Just one question, Mr. Solomons."

"Go on, love."

"Do you even know how to fucking dance?"

Alfie let out a small "fuckin' 'ell" under his breath, shaking his head before tugging the cheeky girl to the edge of the dance floor – her giggles making his smile grow wider. Pulling Evelyn to his chest, Alfie placed both his hands respectably on her waist as her arms made their way around his neck; the pair beginning a small sway.

With a gently push to her shoulder, Alfie let the girl twirl under his arm, before tugging her back to his chest and swirling her around in a circle – the boisterous laughter leaving the girls red lips was enough to catch the attention of most people in the room; but Alfie and Evelyn could care less.

Wrapping her arms back around his neck, Alfie respectably began to waltz the pair on the spot; their gazes never leaving their others. 

"I've been proven wrong Mr. Solomons," Evelyn beamed, mischief glowing in her expression. "You _can_ dance!"

"Jus' call me Alfie, right and remember my name because I'm the best fuckin' dance partner yer' ever going to have, love."

"Well, in that case call me Eve," Evelyn's smiled softened, placing her head on Alfie's broad chest. "And I don't think anyone is going to try to top this performance."

"They best not even think of tryin.'"

The pair shared a laugh before silence overtook them, the sounds of those around them finally bursting back to life – as if the bubble that had formed around them had been popped and brought them back to reality. Evelyn watched as her brothers all exited the room, entering the main hall of Tommy's house and decided it was time to cut short her dance with Alfie who was still swaying her.

"Well, thank you for the dance, Alfie," she politely praised, pulling herself away from him. "It's been lovely, but once again business calls."

"Right, yeah, wasn't a fuckin' problem, love," he grinned, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand before letting her go. "Go do what you Shelby's do best."

With a quick kiss to Alfie's cheek, Evelyn was off chasing her brothers' tails - ignoring the way her heart ached at having to leave Alfie when he made her feel alive for the first time in years. Evelyn knew that the man had an effect on her, much larger than she could've ever imagined – but would have to think about it at a later time.

Exiting the ballroom, Evelyn made her way out into the hall – eyes catching sight of Tommy speaking with Arthur and John; a radiant Grace hanging off his arm. "What's going on?" She questioned, walking closer to the group.

"Nothing, Eve," Tommy sighed, pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Go finish your dance with Solomons."

Choosing to ignore her brother, Evelyn turned to the eldest of the Shelby siblings – the man running his fingers over his moustache. 

"Arthur," Evelyn stretched out his name, drawing his attention to her. "Tell me what the fuck is going on, and don't fucking lie to me."

"Eve-" The older man began, but before he could continue, his words were cut short by a man screaming "for angel" and the infamous sound of a gun going off. 

Evelyn watched as her sister in law fell back into her brothers arms as he started screaming, her feet instantly carrying her over to the couple before she fell on her knees – hands immediately pressing to the bullet wound in Grace's chest.

She ignored the tears that stung along her lash-line – begging her to let them fall. She ignored the desperate pleas that Tommy hollered as well as Arthur and John killing the shooter. She ignored the sound of her aunts heels as she ran into the hall – the way her face paled as she dropped to the floor and took Grace's hand in hers as the beautiful woman's life slipped away.

This was an act of war on her family and they were never going to be the same.


	5. 𝐭𝐰𝐨

𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦, 𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟒

 **THE SHELBY FAMILY** was divided since the death of Grace. Tommy had been distant, leaving Charlie in the care of Evelyn before he set out to Wales to go get the necklace Grace wore, that he claimed was cursed, destroyed. When he returned to Birmingham, he was out doing God knows what, with God knows who.

The deafening cries from Charlie Shelby had Evelyn rushing out of bed, the sun only beginning to rise, and into the spare room that she and Polly had set up for the child. Making her way through the room and over to the cot where the boy was kicking his legs, little whimpers of "mummy" passing his lips. 

The strain of missing both his parents – albeit that Tommy visited in the mornings – was having a terrible effect on the boy and therefore was impacting everyone in the house. Finn had resorted to sleeping on the lounge in the living room because Charlie would often stay awake until the early hours of the morning; crying and he was in the room next to him.

"Hey LeeLee," Evelyn cooed, comforting Charlie with his nickname. Picking the young boy up, Evelyn bounced him slightly on her hip, trying her best to soothe his whimpers. "Decided to start our day bright and early, have we?" She teased, wiping his tears.

Once Charlie had calmed, his face buried in Evelyn's shoulder as she pressed kisses to the crown of his head; she took him downstairs. Sneaking past a snoring Finn on the lounge, Evelyn and Charlie crept into the kitchen.

"Aunt Eve is gonna make some tea," She muttered, lifting the boy higher on her hip. "Would you like some breakfast, Lee?" 

The obviously tired boy nodded his head, letting it fall back onto his aunts shoulder before his eyes began to droop – Evelyn knowing that he wouldn't be eating anything she made him anytime soon. So with one arm, she grabbed the kettle and filled it with water before placing it on the stove – tossing a couple of tea leaves into a cup from the sink.

The sound of the front door opening had Evelyn tensing before she peeked around the corner of the wall, eyes catching the familiar stature of her older brother. He removed his cap and coat before running a hand through his disorderly hair, a deep sigh emitting from his throat. 

Walking into the doorway, Evelyn cleared her throat as quietly as she could making Tommy look up at her – his eyes softening at the sight of Charlie safe in his sisters arms. Gesturing for Tommy to enter the kitchen, he followed behind her as she took the whistling kettle off the stove – filling the cup she had taken out with water before passing it to her brother at the table. He needed it more than her.

Evelyn's head tilted slightly so her cheek rested on the top of Charlie's head, rocking slightly on the spot as she took in her brothers appearance. His eyes were red and bloodshot, the bags underneath adding to the tiredness that he exhibited. With parted lips, Tommy took a cigarette out of his jacket pocket and lit it as Evelyn took a seat in the chair opposite him. 

"How is he?" He whispered, smoke flowing around him – eyes never leaving his son.

"About as tired as you. He only fell asleep a couple of minutes before you arrived."

Nodding, Tommy finally looked at his sister with sorrowful eyes. "He's been asking for me, hasn't he?"

"You and Grace," She confirmed, noticing the way her brother tensed at the mention of Grace's name. "You've got to come back to us Tom. If not for me or our brothers and sister – then come back for Charlie."

"I know."

A silence settled over the siblings, before Tommy stubbed out his cigarette and held his arms out for Evelyn to pass him Charlie. As gently as the girl could, she stood and let the boy curl up in his fathers arms.

"I need a favour," Tommy mumbled, pushing the cup of tea slightly towards Evelyn who was eyeing it. "You can say no and I'll get John to do it, but I'd prefer if it were you."

"Anything you need, Tom. You know that."

Clenching his jaw, Tommy ran his hand down his thigh – eyes darting to the floor before he exhaled deeply. He knew he looked like a mess and smelt of whiskey, gin and whatever other substance he had been using to try to forget his nightmares 

"I need you to go to London," Tommy began, before shaking his head. "No. I need you to _move_ to London."

"You want me to move?"

Tommy briefly shut his eyes at the shock that his sister was expressing, briefly shifting Charlie so he could lean his arm on the table. "You met Solomons, yeah?" He questioned. 

"Yeah, he's not as bad as you all say."

"He is." Tommy shut her down, before taking a deep breath. He was doing that a lot recently; calming himself down before he exploded. Evelyn knew it was his tactic to not be seen showing emotion. "But it seemed as though he took a liking to you – much to Arthur's dismay."

"It was just one dance, Tom."

"You made him _smile_."

Evelyn felt her skin begin to heat up at the memory of her meeting with the Jewish gangster. She had resorted to trying to push it to the back of her memory, believing that none of her family would ever let her go near him again. If they hadn't lost Grace that fateful night she surely would have gotten an earful from them.

Clearing her throat, Evelyn took a sip of the tea in her hands before staring at her brother. "Why do you need me to move, Tom?"

"I would like for you to take over the London side of business," he explained, leaning back in his chair. "I just need you to make a couple of deals with Solomons, I'll phone you when we need you to make one."

Evelyn furrowed her brows, "why can't you do that?" 

"I have some business with the Russians that I need to take care of. We need the Jews on our side, I believe that Solomons is more likely to not double cross us if it's you making the deals."

Nodding, Evelyn continued to drink her tea – watching as her nephew gripped Tommy's shirt and nuzzled closer; it was clear that he missed his father immensely.

"Where am I going to stay?" Evelyn inquired, resting her head on her palm that was propped up against the table. "With Ada?"

"She's renting out her fucking rooms," Tommy ran a hand down his face in what appeared to be annoyance. "I bought you a house close to Alfie's distillery so you won't have to walk far. It's small, but I think you'll fucking like it."

"You bought me a fucking house and I haven't even said yes," Evelyn snickered, a small smile creeping up on Tommy as he amused his sister. 

If there was one person who could stop the man from giving into the darkness that kept him awake at night; it was Evelyn. The girl somehow always managed to make the Shelby family forget everything wrong with the world. 

Taking her older brothers hand that was mindlessly drawing circles on the table in front of him into hers, Evelyn gave his a gentle squeeze.

"What do you need me to do, Tom?"


	6. 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧, 𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟒

 **FROM THE MOMENT** she could speak, Evelyn was taught that there were two things you can't take back – words and bullets.

The passage was something that her father had taught his eldest sons; Tommy finding himself reciting it to a five-year-old Evelyn for the first time after she had a particularly bad fight with Ada – a memory that she was yet to forget.

_"You have to make sure that you hit where you shoot," Tommy spoke to the girl, crouching to her height as she let out small sobs through hiccups. "Make sure that you mean what you say or don't say it at all."_

It wasn't until she was fifteen that those words held meaning. Most people didn't bother Evelyn physically; too afraid of what her brothers would do to them – but it didn't stop the verbal insults from the boys at school.

Evelyn had been sent home from school one particular day for punching James Champion in the nose when he called her _"Gypsy scum."_ After a motherly scolding from Polly as she cleaned her nieces busted knuckles, the older woman decided it was time that Evelyn was taught how to properly defend herself. While reluctant to agree, Arthur took her out to the boxing ring.

_"A punch ain't no good if you don't know how to use your arms," he elucidated, watching as her hands slightly trembled. "Being able to use both of ya arms is gold. Learn to interchange between both of 'em – don't just rely on ya dominant arm, even if you do deliver a mean punch with it."_

Evelyn could clearly recount Arthur teaching her how to tuck her fingers and which direction she should throw the punch in order to deliver the most pain. She was proud that her brother wasn't treating her as if she was weaker than him because she was a girl.

_"Sometimes, we have to do bad things to get what we want," Arthur told the girl, placing his hands on her shoulders as she looked at him with innocent, eager eyes – hanging off her brothers every word. "Folks often forget all the good you have in ya once that happens. Don't lose ya good, Eve."_

Arthur had taught Evelyn to not pull her punches, to always hit their ribs first so they would hunch forward and she could deliver a blow to their face – effectively knocking them out. Evelyn remembers struggling to keep her footing as she threw her punches and Arthur only ever encouraging her forward with a curt _"stop panicking."_

From that day onward Arthur had taken Evelyn with him to the ring until she could effectively punch without having to think about where her hands were going – her punches being perfectly on target one-hundred percent of the time.

It wasn't long until Arthur could confidently put Evelyn in a ring with a few of the boys her age, watching her bring them down with ease; pride overcoming the older boy.

From that moment, people quickly learnt that the princess of the Shelby family was also one of the most dangerous – most of them trying to stay away. This made it extremely hard for Evelyn to find any genuine friends, most of Birmingham being too scared to even talk to her.

But London was different. In London she could be whoever she wanted to be.

It had been three days since Tommy had dropped Evelyn off in London, a small envelope in her hands containing the contract between the Shelby's and the Jews; Tommy instructing her to go straight to Alfie. She didn't.

Instead she stayed cooped up in her room; tempted to burn the piece of paper that she had signed; regret for saying yes to Tommy hitting her in waves. She knew that Alfie was expecting her there, Tommy having called to let him know, but she couldn't bring herself to go.

It wasn't until Ada had stormed into the girls house using the spare key that Tommy gave her, a screaming Karl propped on her hip as he cried into his mothers shoulder, that she finally held up her end of the deal.

"For Gods sake Eve," Ada seethed, pulling the blankets off her sister as the younger girl moaned out in protest to being woken up. "If you're not going to fucking go and work with Solomons, you might as well go back home!"

Keeping her eyes closed, Evelyn tried to ignore Ada's protests and Karls screams – but it got impossibly harder when Ada placed her son right next to her, the boy yelling right in Evelyn's ear.

"Fucks sake, Ada!"

"You either go do what you're here to do or you fucking stay here and look after Karl while I go out all day," Ada propositioned, hands propped on her hips.

"My God Ada, you sound just like Pol when she used to wake me up for school."

With a lot of complaining and whining almost as bad as her nephew, Evelyn finally got herself out of bed and made herself slightly more presentable, choosing to wear the suit that Polly had leant her instead of the skirt that Ada suggested.

After kissing a still fussed Karl on the forehead and giving her sister a hug, Evelyn was out of the house and walking to the distillery in no time.

"Miss. Shelby!" The loud voice of who Evelyn now knew as Ollie -per her brothers explanation -greeted Evelyn as she made her way to front doors with a blank expression on her face – she wasn't exactly excited to be there.

With a brisk nod and mumble of "Ollie," in greeting, she was ushered inside. Most of the workers stopped what they were doing upon hearing the sound of high heels against the cement, watching with curious gazes as Ollie led the pretty woman towards their bosses office.

Gesturing for her to enter the room, Ollie left Evelyn standing in front of the door to an office. So after knocking once, she opened the door and let herself in; attention immediately being drawn to the sight of Alfie lounged back in his chair, legs propped up on his desk. He was a sight for sore eyes and Evelyn couldn't stop taking the man in.

She watched as he circled different things in the paper he was reading, slightly adjusting his glasses as they slid down the bridge of his nose.

"Yer' gonna speak, love or keep watching me like a creep, eh?" Startled at the sound of Alfie's deep voice, Evelyn felt a blush coat her cheeks when she realised he noticed her checking him out.

Choosing not to say anything, Evelyn took the envelope out of her back pocket, walking over to his desk before placing it in front of him. Dropping the newspaper he was reading, Alfie looked at the piece of paper before his eyes finally landed on the girl on the other side of his desk.

Alfie could've sworn he felt his heart briefly stop at the sight of her before him. Her pinned back curls were perfect against the white of her shirt. She was confident in her choice to wear a suit; something that he would've never expected upon the first time he met her at the gala. She was absolutely beautiful and Alfie would fight anyone who tried to tell him different.

"Right, well nice of you to finally show up, yeah Miss. Shelby," he spluttered, taking his feet down off his desk. Picking up the envelope, he held it between his thumb and forefinger. "This the contract, yeah?"

"That it is Mr. Solomons," Evelyn confirmed.

Nodding, Alfie ran his fingers through his beard; staring at the woman in front of him. Evelyn felt slightly small under his gaze, her mind flashing back to when she was that fifteen year-old girl who was picked on for not being as strong as her brothers.

Alfie was intimidating. A man who Evelyn knew better to mess with; but she was never one to not play with fire, even if she was burnt. So with as much faith in herself as she could muster, Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head as she said her next words.

"Shall we talk business, Mr. Solomons?" She needed to mean every little thing she said to him, or not say it at all.

"Business, right," he clapped his hands together, his mouth set in a hard line. Before the man could get out his next words, Ollie charged into the office – tripping over his own feet as his boss rolled his eyes. "Ollie, what the fuck are you fuckin' doing stormin' in here while I'm talkin' to the lady?"

"I forgot to pat her down, boss," Ollie stuttered. Evelyn furrowed her brows before taking the gun from her coat pocket – gripping Ollie's wild hand and placing it in his fist.

"Fucks sake, Ollie it's fine, it's fine." Alfie heaved, reaching over his desk to take the gun back. "Here love, take your fuckin' gun back, as long as yer' don't fuckin' shoot me in the head, we're alright, yeah. Go on Ollie, fuck off."

Taking the weapon back from Alfie who was holding it out toward her, Evelyn placed the gun back in her pocket; Ollie offered a sheepish smile to the girl and his boss before rushing out of the office – slamming the door behind him.

"That fuckin' guy is gonna give me grey fuckin' hairs," Alfie huffed, running a hand over his beard before falling back in his seat. "Right, back to fuckin' business, yeah? What deal does your brother have for me?"

"For now, all we want is for your men and our men to be allies," Evelyn recited what Tommy had told her. "We have bigger enemies to remove, Mr. Solomons."

Alfie held a palm out to stop her talking, "lemme tell yer' something, Eve, yeah? I once carried out my own personal form of stigmata on an Italian."

"Stigmata?" Evelyn frowned, curiosity coursing through her body. Alfie shot her a small smile; it vanishing quicker than it formed.

"Yeah, stigmata. I pushed his fuckin' face up against the trench and shoved a six-inch nail up his fuckin' nose and I hammered it home with a duck bored. It was fucking biblical, love."

"And what?" Evelyn began, leaning so her elbows rested on the edge of Alfie's desk. "That made you feel like a man? You enjoy the power?"

"Listen, I ain't going to tell yer' that I did or didn't fuckin' enjoy it love. Point is that I can deal with my enemies my-fucking-self, why the fuck do you think I need your family to help me?"

A tense feeling coated the atmosphere, as Evelyn cleared her throat trying to remain professional. "Look, Mr. Solomons. I wasn't sent here to fucking critique you and your business, I'm here to make a deal where we join forces."

Immediately declining the suggestion, Alfie shook his head. "No. Fucking ridiculous, where'd you come up with that idea? See it in a Gypsy dream of yours? Absolutely insane."

The young Shelby shut her eyes and tried to think of what Tommy would have wanted her to do – her mind remembering the random facts about the man and his business that Tommy had spewed to her in the car ride to London.

"Mr. Solomons," Evelyn addressed him, trying her hardest not to get caught up in his enticing eyes and analyse the tiniest details of his face. "I know that your distillery provides approximately one-tenth of your income. Another ten percent is provided by the protection that you offer people and the rest is made from the races."

"That could all just be word of mouth, love."

" _I know_ that you have a gun that you keep in the drawer on your right. I know that your deals are either to be kept or mean death and I know that what my brother is requesting is making you angry. But it's a solution to our problems and you need that much."

"A smart thing you are, eh?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a brain on me."

The corners of Alfie's mouth twitched before curving upward into a smile at the girls words, she was definitely a Shelby.

"And a fuckin' mouth on yer' too," he snickered, shaking his head. With a small huff, Alfie turned his attention back to the pretty girl sitting in the chair in front of him, her legs crossed as she inattentively twirled around one of her brown locks.

"Right, let's just say that I take you fuckin' Shelby's up on yer' deal, yeah," Alfie began, hands clasping together as he leant across his desk. "What, right, what would be offered to me?" He inquired. 

"It's a simple two way street deal, Mr. Solomons," Evelyn tugged her bottom lip between her teeth - Alfie's attention immediately being drawn to her mouth. "But if you tell me what you want, I'll see what I can do, yeah? So what would you like?"

A chuckle from Alfie sounded throughout the room, before he clasped his hands together. "What would I like? What would... I would like a lot of things, love. I would like... I _would like_ to take yer' out tonight."

"Take _me_ out?" Evelyn spluttered, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to form words. 

"Yeah love, I would like to take _you_ out."

Trying to calm her racing heart, Evelyn swallowed; her throat becoming dry – the action didn't go unnoticed by Alfie who pushed his glass of gin toward the girl who immediately took it and drank.

"Well," Evelyn began, placing the glass back onto his desk. "Where are you taking me, Mr. Solomons?"

"You're going to be living here for a while, think you will need some friends – I'll take you out dancin.'"

"Fine," Evelyn agreed, not seeing much point in saying no to his request. "If that's all you would like in addition to the deal, you shall take me out dancing, Mr. Solomons."

The pair offered each other a smile as they stood up, a handshake finalising the deal. If a night out with Alfie was all Evelyn needed to do in order for things to go according to plan, then that's just what she will do.


	7. 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

**THE SMOKE THAT** emitted from Evelyn's burning cigarette between her lips made the area in front of her look bleary. In her hand was a glass of Irish whiskey, the cubes of ice hitting the sides of the cup – the small sound reminding her to remain alert. 

The pub around Evelyn was just settling down, many people calling it an early night, their noise causing a small headache to begin to form – nothing that she couldn't drown out with good alcohol. Pinching her cigarette between her middle and pointer finger, Evelyn lowered the stick to the ashtray in the middle of the table; letting out a gentle exhale. 

"You and yer' fucking family sure do love those bloody things aye," rolling her eyes, Evelyn placed the cigarette back in-between her lips; inhaling before exhaling the smoke right in the direction of the man who had sat in front of her.

"Nice of you to finally arrive, Mr. Solomons," Evelyn sarcastically responded; downing the rest of her drink before stubbing out the cigarette.

"Got hol' up in a fuckin' meeting, didn't I?"

"You said to be here at half eight, I was," the girl bit back, finger circling around the rim of her glass. "You had me waiting here, alone, for half an hour, _Alfie_."

The older man ran a hand over his beard once before slumping back in his seat; holding the same hand out in Evelyn's direction. His mouth opening to say something, but obviously deciding against it when it shut again. 

Alfie truly didn't mean to leave Evelyn alone for as long as he had; but owning an illegal business and having to make the deals he did, made him lose track of time. It was clear that this had annoyed Evelyn by the way she had crossed her arms over her chest and propped her left leg over her right; closing herself off.

"My brother called earlier," Evelyn spoke, choosing to move on from the previous topic.

"Yeah?" Alfie began, leaning across the wooden table in-between them. "Right then, what'd he say?"

"He's making a deal with the Russians – said he'll be in touch when he knows more."

"Silly boy," Alfie tutted, shaking his head. "Those Russians are fuckin' crazy, right. I'm sure that given the fuckin' chance they would happily blow my fuckin' brains out."

"I'm sure that given the chance, many people would blow your brains out, Alfie."

"You laugh now, love but when it happens, yeah, my fuckin' brains will be all over the surfaces near me. Then right, then you'll hafta clean up my brains, that mush and bone, fuckin' awful that is."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Evelyn chuckled, her hand playing with the pearls upon her neck. Alfie only shrugged in response.

"Right, well we didn't come here to talk about fuckin' business," Alfie pointed a finger towards the girl, his multiple rings catching the lights of the pub. "I came here to take yer' fuckin' dancin' and introduce yer' to a friend yeah?"

A grin spread across Evelyns face as the rugged man stood and held his hand out toward her, her soft palm immediately reaching for his calloused one. Walking hand in hand through the almost empty pub – minus a few drunk stranglers who were struggling to keep themselves upright – Alfie led Evelyn to the bar. 

With a soft whistle, Alfie caught the attention of the pretty barmaid who immediately rushed over, rubbing a towel over her wet hands. Her jet black hair was pinned up with a crystal hair piece, dark makeup coating her eyelids. A wide smile graced her face as she looked at Alfie.

"Mr. Solomons," she proclaimed, tightening the knot of her apron. "Haven't seen you around here in a long time – imagine my surprise when you walked in like you own the place."

"That's because I do," Alfie smirked, before gesturing towards Evelyn. "Matya I would like you to meet Evelyn Shelby. Evelyn this is Matya Ableson, the temporary owner of the only good fuckin' pub in London."

The corners of Matya's mouth curved up into a smile as she held out an elegant hand towards Evelyn. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss. Shelby."

"As it is you, Miss. Ableson."

"It's Mrs. Ableson, actually," the woman kindly corrected.

"Right, now pleasantries are fuckin' done," Alfie boomed, hands banging down on the countertop. "Matya, I would like for yer' to show, Eve around Camden Town tomorrow. Take her to the fuckin' markets or somethin' yeah?"

"Of course Mr. Solomons," she nodded, her deep brown eyes drifting between Alfie and a timid Evelyn. 

Alfie clapped his hands together before turning on the balls of his feet to look at Evelyn who was mindlessly tracing her bottom lip with her thumb; it was only then that he finally was able to look at the beautiful woman in front of him for the first time that night.

A deep ruby dress covered her body, her hair in loose ringlets that cascaded over her shoulders; light makeup coated her face – obviously knowing that it wasn't a formal event to get too dressed up for; yet she still managed to look fucking angelic.

With a smirk, Alfie took Evelyn's smaller hand back in his and walked her to the dance floor - grateful that everyone had left the pub due to their early morning start at work the next day. He wouldn't hear the end of it if one of his men caught him fucking dancing with a pretty bird. 

The pair found themselves in the same position the first night they met, Alfie's hands on her hips and Evelyn's around his neck as they both twirled on the spot. After a beat of silently dancing, Evelyn spoke up.

"Why are you so kind to me, Alfie?"

"What's that s'pose to fuckin' mean?" Alfie furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips, looking down at the girl who was intently watching him.

"It's just that-" Evelyn began, shaking her head before looking away; Alfie taking her chin between his fingers to tilt her head back so she was staring at him again.

"Jus' what, love?"

With a sigh, Evelyn muttered something under her breath that Alfie missed before she raised her voice. "My brothers have told me nothing but terrible things about you, Alfie. Fuck, I mean, you almost had Arthur beaten to death when Tommy and yourself first began to do business. I wasn't allowed out of my fucking room when you came to Small Heath because Tommy didn't want you to meet me.

"But meeting you and standing here in your arms, you've never once tried to harm me like Arthur said you would, or insulted me like John suggested. You're nice to me and I can't figure out why. You're supposed to hate us Shelby's."

A feeling of confusion bubbled in Alfie's chest as he tried to figure out what to say to the girl who was trailing her hands over the pockets in his vest, her icy eyes attentively watching him; his teeth gnawing at his lip. 

"Right, I'm going to be fuckin' honest with you, right love; I'm not fuckin' good at this shit," he grunted as his head slightly tipped to the ceiling, trying to put together his words. Alfie somehow could talk his way out of every situation possible, but around the princess of the Shelby family he found himself struggling to speak.

He wasn't sure if he could chalk it up to not wanting to embarrass himself in front of the girl or scare her away – both options terrifying the man. 

"Good at what?" Evelyn questioned, her hand cupping Alfie's cheeks as she tried to draw his attention back to their conversation. "What stuff, Alfie?"

"Right, yeah listen for a second. I'm not a kind man – you already know that much, love. I've killed more men than you can bare to imagine. I did a lot of shit in the war that would send you fuckin' running," Alfie began, his head involuntarily leaning into Evelyn's palm that was still resting on his cheek.

"Alfie-"

"I don't want fuckin' pity, yeah," Alfie cut Evelyn off, pulling away from her touch.

"I'm not fucking pitying you, but it's your time to listen to _me_ ; so shut up for a second, would you?"

Letting out a light laugh at the sassy remark from the girl who had crossed her arms back over her chest, Alfie let out a 'sorry' before gesturing for her to continue. 

"I've seen firsthand just what the war has done to the men in my life," Evelyn began, a melancholic look on her face. "I've been there when the darkness tried to take over my brothers. I watched as Arthur turned to snow to forget, when Tommy tried to push everyone away and John took his anger out on me. I was forced to do horrible shit while they were gone, been plagued by nightmares ever since – I've seen true evil, Alfie. You won't scare me off."

A tender feeling overcame Alfie as he took Evelyn's cheeks between his palms – he had never felt so fondly for someone before. He was a man forged from a heavy heart and the horrors of hell, but in that moment he felt like nothing more than a gentlemen taking a pretty dame out dancing; he felt himself falling.

"We probably shouldn't fuckin' do this, love," Alfie sighed, wanting nothing more than to lean down and kiss her plump lips. "Yer' brothers would try to fuckin' kill me if they even heard that I was touchin' you like this."

"Well then," Evelyn whispered, lifting herself onto her tiptoes, lips ghosting over Alfie's; starting something that neither of them could prevent. "Don't let them find out."


	8. 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

**BEING THE FIFTH** Shelby sibling, was a struggle for Evelyn.

Her brothers cherished her from the moment she entered the world, their mother holding the small, screaming girl in her arms as they all crowded around her. Their aunt Polly who had birthed her, affectionately nicknaming the tiny girl "wailing banshee."

Ada was the most excited to have a little sister that she could dress up and play with, immediately attempting to crochet the new bundle of joy a hat. The boys however, immediately made a silent vow to protect her the moment she opened her eyes and held Tommy's pinky with her tiny fist.

Growing up, she had procured the title of the "Shelby's princess." From the moment she could walk, Evelyn was up and helping to look after her older siblings, cooking and cleaning the house with her mother and it wasn't until she was in primary school that her mother fell pregnant with the sixth child of the Shelby family; Finn.

After the death of their mother and absence of their father, Evelyn took it into her own hands to help raise the baby of the family. She took two years off school to help her aunt Pol and look after the house; she didn't return until Finn was a mere five-years-old and started school.

By the time Finn had turned six, her older brothers were drafted off to war – leaving a gaping hole in her family. Ada had started to rebel against Polly's requests, sneaking out at night – forcing Evelyn to keep her secret every time the girl saw her climb out of her window. So Evelyn took it upon herself to mature a lot faster.

By the time that Arthur, Tommy and John had returned from war, Evelyn had just passed her twentieth birthday. She had taught herself the ins and out of running Shelby Company Limited, took shooting lessons from Polly and had taken her first life. 

The innocent girl who they had left when they went to fight in France was now gone; a full grown woman in her place. Yet none of them seemed to understand that the reason their business was still up and running was due to their sister – that it had taken the last of her purity. They refused to break the vow they made when she was born.

It wasn't until Tommy attempted to kick Evelyn out during a meeting that they finally began to understand just how much she needed to be involved. 

_"You guys are fuckin' assholes!"_ She screamed, slamming her palms on the table – it shaking at her force. Everyone in the room sat in shock at the girl yelling and cursing at them - never hearing her raise her voice before. 

_"Eve,"_ Tommy began, pointedly looking down at the girl as if she was still five-years-old and he was scolding her. _"Sit down and tell us what has you cracking a fucking tantrum."_

 _"No, Tom! You don't get to tell me what to fucking do anymore,"_ the girls Brummie accent thick as she clenched her jaw. _"Not after everything I've been through to keep this company on its fucking feet."_

John attempted to pull the girl into her seat, but she was quick to pull out of his grip – fury burning behind her eyes, a hiss of _"don't fucking touch me,'_ causing him to hold his hands up in surrender.

 _"Do you have any idea about the kind of men who have tried to hurt me while you were gone, Tommy?"_ She questioned, her words as sharp as daggers. _"Do you know what I had to do because they thought they could take over the business by getting into my fucking pants?"_

A haunting silence cloaked the betting shop, everyone tensing at Evelyns words. Polly reached over to her niece, taking the girls hand into hers – a comforting gesture to show her support. She was there when it had happened for the first time, reaching the man before he could even touch Evelyn who was only eighteen at the time.

The second time Evelyn was forced to take matters into her own hands; a bullet going straight through the mans forehead as his body fell to the ground in a slump. Evelyn could still remember the way his hand felt around her throat, her struggle to breathe as she reached for the gun that had slipped under her desk chair.

 _"I need this. I need the fucking business,"_ Evelyn choked out, tears beginning to cascade down her cheeks before she headed for the door. _"Don't keep me away from it."_

From that point on Tommy made sure that she was included more in Peaky business; per Polly's pleas. He felt like he had broken that vow the moment he wasn't there to stop those men, no screw that – he knew he had failed his sister and he intended to make up for it for the rest of his life. To protect her no matter what. 

~~~~~~~

"So why exactly are you in London, Miss. Shelby?" Evelyns attention was pulled away from the stunning champagne coloured dress in the shop window by Matya, the Jewish woman holding the hands of a little boy and girl.

After Alfie and Evelyn had shared a kiss on the dance floor over two weeks ago, he had rushed to walk her home – not before Matya yelled out to meet her outside the pub the next morning. Evelyn tried to ignore the way her heart anguished at the memory of her walk home with Alfie, a tense silence the whole way – him only offering her a slight nod when she thanked him for the night, not attempting to see her again after that.

"Just doing some business with Mr. Solomons for my brother," Evelyn forced a smile. "I'm not too sure how long I'll be here for."

"I'd say you won't be going anywhere for a while," Matya chuckled, watching as her daughter Ruth, tugged on Evelyn's coat – the small girls braids bouncing around. The Shelby woman instinctively picking her up; a questioning look on her face as she looked at Matya.

"Why's that?"

Matya only let out a vivacious laugh, running her hands through her son, David's, tiny curls. Her expression was one of amusement as she lead the four of them through the markets, stopping at a jewellery stall to look at the rings.

"You think I didn't see you and Alfie kiss?" Matya snickered, placing a couple of rings on her fingers to see if they fit – Evelyn blushing at the woman's words.

"I don't believe he was too fond of that kiss."

"It didn't appear that way," Matya tilted her head, placing the rings back before they moved along.

"He pulled away suddenly!" Evelyn exclaimed. "Then he didn't speak to me the entire walk home. He's so hard to read."

Evelyn had never properly kissed someone before Alfie. Sure, she had pecked Isaiah when her brothers dared her and made out with Jeremy in seventh grade behind the oak tree on school grounds so she wasn't caught by her brothers – but she had never kissed someone the way she did with Alfie. A kiss where she got lost in the other. 

"Is it because of my family?" Evelyn questioned, becoming lost in her own thoughts. "He mentioned my brothers hurting him, but they won't if they don't find out and even if they did then they would have to get to Alfie through me-"

Matya was quick to cut her new friends rambling off. "Eve! Take a breath!"

An embarrassed expression coated Evelyn's flushed features, her cheeks now a bright pink as Matya pulled them to the side of the walkway; besides a stall selling scarves. 

"Look, I've known Alfie since I was thirteen," Matya began to explain, pulling David back to her side when he tried to chase after a couple of other children. "He and my brother were best friends and then they were sent to France and only Alfie returned. The boy who would protect me like I was his own sister was tougher, he started up his business and bought the bar I worked at once he found out about the twins he offered my husband a well paying job at the bakery."

Evelyn listened intently to Matya's story, sadness clouding her features. She didn't know what it felt like to lose someone in the war; all her brothers thankfully coming back to her – but she did understand what it was like to emotionally lose them instead.

"Alfie's not someone who shows emotion anymore," Matya continued, her voice soft. "He thinks he can't; especially with what he does for work. But, when you kissed him last night I truly believe that he realised he was letting those feelings creep up on him; he was trying to repress the idea that there was something there with you."

Evelyn sighed, before running her free hand down her face – an action that Polly had told her mirrored Tommy, the older woman stating that the two were more similar than people could see.

"I just don't know what to do now," Evelyn complained. "I have to do business with him, my brother's relying on me. I just don't want to make him uncomfortable now that we've kissed."

Matya linked her arm with Evelyn's pulling them back through the market, a supportive smile on her face. "You could try to talk to him?" She suggested as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What if he wants to forget it ever happened? What if he never wants to see me again?"

Placing a top hat on the top of Evelyns head, Matya let out a giggle that resembled that of a school girl before picking up a fan and beginning to fan herself.

"You don't let him," Matya concluded, wrapping a feathery scarf around her neck as Evelyn placed a fussing Ruth on the ground; watching as the girl chased after her brother. "You make that man feel. Let Alfie fall in love with you. You make him feel loved, completely and fully – and if that love is madness, then make him feel that, Evelyn Shelby."

Evelyn stood in silence as she took in Matya's words. She didn't know what she felt for Alfie, but she was willing to figure it out – so long as he was by her side.


	9. 𝐬𝐢𝐱

**EVELYN'S BLACK HEELS** clicked against the gravel beneath her feet - face showing nothing but sheer determination as she pushed past workers. She was focused, fire burning through every inch of her body as she stormed into the distillery.

Ollie's eyes caught sight of the Shelby girl, his usual smile dropping off his face as he went to greet her but was met with her palm being held up to silence him. Evelyn's eyes casted a glance around the room, intent on finding the recognisable Jew.

"Where's Alfie?" Evelyn spluttered, barely looking at Ollie who was holding a confused expression.

"In his office, Miss-"

Before the boy could say anything else, Evelyn had practically sprinted to the door of Alfie's office before she could second guess herself and her intentions.

After walking around the markets for another hour with Matya, the woman could tell that Evelyn's mind couldn't stop thinking about Alfie and she was quick to encourage her to go visit the man and give him a piece of her mind – making Evelyn promise to visit the pub later and tell her how it went. Which led to Evelyn's current predicament. 

The continuous knockingagainst Alfie's door had him frustrated, curses of "fuckin' 'ell" continuing to spill from his lips as he harshly pulled it open. Evelyn stood with her hand raised, the girl almost punching the irritated man in the face. Her face was screwed up, bottom lip taken between her teeth and cheeks flushed from her rush.

"Eve," Alfie took a few steps back to avoid being hit. "Tryin' to break my fuckin' nose or somethin'?"

"No, sit down and shut up!" Evelyn rushed, entering Alfie's office – him muttering a sarcastic 'come on in, love.'

As soon as the door was shut, Alfie made his way around his desk and took a seat in his usual chair like Evelyn had instructed; a bewildered expression on his face as he watched her pace the floor in front of him.

Alfie watched the girl for a few moments as she ran a hand through her knotted hair; jaw clenched as she pinched the bridge of her nose, just as he had seen her brother do a multitude of times.

"You," Evelyn began, turning to point at the man before dropping her hand and shaking her head.

"I what?" Alfie questioned, pulling out a bottle of rum. "Right love, why don't you sit down before yer' fuckin' collapse, yeah? Here have a fuckin' drink."

With a heavy sigh, Evelyn sat down; quickly taking the glass Alfie had poured her. Her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts wanting nothing more than to say them all to the man seated in front of her; but her mouth could barely form a single word.

After a beat of silence, Alfie took it upon himself to try to help proceed the conversation as Evelyn took out a pack of cigarettes from her coat pocket. "Talk to me, yeah. Obviously somethin' is fuckin' botherin' yer.' That's why yer' relying on cigarettes and my fuckin' rum to calm yer' nerves."

Evelyn took a moment to compose herself before finally meeting Alfie's eyes, her heart skipping a beat at the obvious concern he had for her. "I honestly don't know why I'm here. Matya convinced me to come and talk to you about my feelings and now I've made a fool of myself."

"No such thing has been done," Alfie waved a hand to dismiss her thoughts. "Talk to me, yeah?"

"You ignored me!"

"Wh-"

"After our kiss!" Evelyn cut Alfie off, letting her unlit cigarette fall to her lap as she raised her hands out towards him. "You took me fuckin' home and then just ignored me! I was going to ask if you wanted to come inside but you just nodded and walked away and then you didn't talk to me for two weeks! Every time I called or showed up to the distillery Ollie said you were in a meeting – even though I could hear you yelling at your men!"

"Eve, I promise on me fuckin' life that wasn't my intention-" Evelyn cut him off again, trying to get everything off her chest.

"If you regret the kiss, tell me! If it's because of my family, tell me!"

It was Alfie's turn to interrupt her. "Evelyn, let me fuckin' talk, yeah?"

Evelyn exhaled, taking a sip of the rum in front of her before nodding for Alfie to begin; nervously biting her nails. She had for sure fucked everything up for good by barging into his office like she had done.

"I don't fuckin' regret kissing yer' – couldn't even if I tried," he spoke, truth laced in his words, rubbing his forehead. "Look, I told yer' when we went dancin' that I'm not good at this shit, yeah. I don't know how to express my fuckin' feelings, but it's not jus' that innit? If yer' brothers found out that I kissed yer', right, if they fuckin' found out; they'd shoot me dead without blinkin.'"

"So you don't want to start something with me because you're scared of my brothers reactions?" Evelyns voice was compassionate, her passion still remained but it wasn't in the form of frenzy. "I already told you-"

"That they don't have to know, yeah I fuckin' remember, love. But, I fuckin' refuse to be in a secret relationship. If we have to hide it, it's not fuckin' real innit?"

"If we have to keep it a secret from people, it doesn't make it any less real," Evelyn swallowed harshly, nervously picking at the loose hem on the edge of her coat. "How about we just start with you telling me how you feel about me," she bargained.

"Fuck I - all I fucking know, yeah love, is that I find myself forcing my fuckin' mind to stop thinkin' about you. Have had to do that since the day I met yer' at Tommy's fuckin' gala and then yer' show up in London, Tommy sayin' that you're now head of business here and I fu- I fuckin' had no idea what to do, yeah?"

"You're scared, Alfie," Evelyn smiled, standing up and slowly walking over to his side of the desk; propping herself up on the surface in front of him so he was slightly looking up to see her face. The timid Shelby reached down to pick up his hands that were clasped together in his lap. "It's okay, I'm fucking scared too. I'm scared of Tommy ever finding out, he'd probably lock me up in my room forever."

"Like Rupunzel," he snickered, a small grin finally breaking out on his face causing Evelyn to mirror his expression. "Then you'd really be the fucking Shelby's princess."

"Shut up," the flustered girl giggled, Alfie placing his hands on her thighs as he stood up to rest his forehead on hers, before he began to whisper to her.

"If we do this, yeah? If we fuckin' get together, it's not goin' to be easy. We're goin' to have to work at it and I don't want us to be a fuckin' secret, right. If people see, they see. If yer' brother hears about it, then he hears about it, alright?"

"No hiding," Evelyn nodded, agreeing with Alfie's terms. "So you want me?"

"I do. I fuckin' want yer' and I want whatever this fuckin' is."

Alfie had never been in love; then again he had never met a girl as able to render him speechless like Evelyn had done every time he saw her and Evelyn had never been able to show interest in a man; every male in Birmingham avoiding her due to her brothers. But if they were going to experience a relationship, they needed to trust each other – and they were more than willing to do just that.


	10. 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

**SUBTLE WASN'T A** word that one would use to describe Alfie Solomons. The man wasn't afraid to show all of Camden Town that he was now seeing Evelyn Shelby. He wasn't scared to lead her into the distillery everyday holding her hand – still yelling profanities towards his workers, but seeming a little less angry when he took her into his office with a beaming smile on his face. Nor was he too shy to pull her hips to his and place a deep kiss on her lips in front of everyone. 

Evelyn didn't think she will ever meet a man who compared to Alfie. The man had made her laugh more in two months than she had her whole life back in Birmingham. She could talk to all sorts of people, but no conversation would come close to any that she held with Alfie. He made her feel the thrill of being completely infatuated with another soul for the first time – the man captured her attention wholeheartedly. 

Her aunt used to always say that she would meet someone and just know they belonged together; that it would just work between them no matter the circumstance. Evelyn knew that person was Alfie. 

Evelyn found herself staying at Alfie's house pretty quickly. The first time it happened she had stayed late in his office, chatting his ear off as they both read through deals people were hoping to make with the Jews. The girl was seated on his lap, Alfie's head resting in the crook of her neck peppering kisses to her flushed skin, arms wrapped around her waist as he held the document in front of the pair of them. 

Evelyn's eyes had began to droop and her hand that was lazily running through Alfie's hair in a soft massage ceased, his eyebrows furrowed and he lifted his head to see her falling asleep. With a soft snicker, Alfie lightly pinched her hip; causing her eyes to fly open and push slightly away from him with a squeal. 

_"Alf,"_ she whined, burying her face in her palms as she rubbed her eyes. _"What the fuck was that for?"_

With a laugh, Alfie lifted the girl off his lap as he pushed his chair back, _"yer' fallin' asleep, love."_ He grinned, raising to his feet himself. 

_"I was not,"_ Evelyn argued, before a yawn interrupted her. 

_"Yeah, right. Sure you ain't fuckin' tired, that yawn was just for fun, innit?"_

_"Shut up."_

Laughing to himself, Alfie gently took Evelyn's hand in his while making sure that all the documents on his desk were sorted before switching off the lamp; encasing the pair in darkness. It was late by the time they locked up the distillery, the only people wandering the streets being a couple of drunks causing Evelyn to tuck herself closer into Alfie – the man smiling to himself when he noticed. 

It didn't take the girl long to realise that Alfie was leading her in the opposite direction of her house, confusion coursing through her body as she looked towards the handsome man on her left arm.

 _"Alf,"_ she whispered, drawing his attention to her. _"We missed my street. Where are we going?"_

 _"Home,"_ the man responded with a shrug, walking towards his own house; kissing Evelyn's forehead once before she rested her cheek against his bicep with a hum. They made love for the first time that night, two souls intertwining in a passionate bond. From then on, Evelyn found herself spending more time at Alfie's house than her own – which is exactly where she woke.

Rolling over in bed with her eyes still closed, Evelyn reached her arm out; expecting to be met with the solid chest of her boyfriend. _Boyfriend_ wasa term that Evelyn was still getting use to referring to the brooding gangster by. Instead, she was met by the cold feeling of the mattress.

Peeking open one of her eyes, Evelyn immediately noticed that Alfie wasn't beside her or in the room, causing a slight groan to emit from the back of her throat. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Evelyn wrapped the blanket on the bed around her body at the sharp chill of the air around her – the window Alfie had left open the previous night, letting the breeze through.

Looking towards Alfie's side of the bed – that he had claimed was better for his bad hip – she noticed the corner of a piece of paper peeking from under his pillow; her hand quickly reaching for it. 

_'Went to work early, didn't want to wake ya,_ ' messily sprawled in black ink. It was short and brief in very common Alfie Solomons fashion and Evelyn found a wide grin growing on her face just at the thought of him making sure she knew where he was before she freaked out and went on a wild hunt for him in true Shelby fashion. 

The sound of the bedroom door creaking open caused Evelyn's attention to dart in that direction, her rigid body relaxing when she noticed the familiar sight of brown fur. 

"Cyril," she muttered, bright smile returning to her features. The bullmastiff let out a bark at the sound of his name, head peaking over the edge of bed and Evelyn found herself letting out a small sigh as she thought over the consequences of her potential future actions.

Before she could stop herself, Evelyn had patted Alfie's side of the bed causing the large dog to jump up and drop himself onto the mattress. Evelyn's laugh echoed throughout the room as she reached over to pat the gentle giant, his head lifting to lick at her palm. 

From the moment the pair met, they both fell in love with the other. Cyril found himself following Evelyn wherever she went – even if Alfie was calling his name. It came to the point where Alfie had to lay down a rule that Cyril was not allowed in the bedroom and while reluctant, Evelyn agreed; setting up a makeshift bed outside the door for the dog with a bunch of old blankets that Alfie hadn't used in a while. 

_"Fuckin' ridiculous,"_ Alfie complained as he watched the girl crouched on the floor, although the soft look in his eyes told Evelyn that he was far from being angry at the pair. _"Attached at the hip, the two of yer' are. Yer' supposed to be datin' me, not the fuckin' mutt."_

Evelyn let out a booming laugh at the sight of her boyfriend pouting like a petulant child, Cyril barking towards the man as if he too was taunting him; before the girl wrapped her arms around the brooding mans neck, his hands finding their usual place on her hips as she pressed her lips against his.

Snickering at the memory, Evelyn flopped down next to Cyril who rested his head beside hers. 

"Your daddy is going to ban you from even coming upstairs if he realises you were in the bed – don't leave any of your fur," she jokingly threatened, knowing that Alfie would try to implement the ban but ultimately fail from the way Evelyn would defend the dog. "I should probably get ready and go visit him, huh?"

Cyril grunted as if answering her, so with a kiss to his snout, Evelyn shot out of bed, rushing to the cupboard on the side of the room. Wrapping the blanket tighter around her as the wind shot through her thin nightgown that she wore to bed. 

Opening the top drawer that Alfie had emptied for her, Evelyn quickly pulled out a black skirt and white shirt, rushing to put them on – grabbing her coat that was bunched up in the corner of the room and shrugging it on before tossing the blanket over Cyril who began to roll around in the bed.

"Yeah, you're definitely getting me in trouble when your dad gets home," Evelyn shook her head, watching the dog peek his head out from under the blanket at the sound of her voice; eyes watching her movements as she rushed over to shut the window. "I've also got to speak to him about shutting the fucking window at night, it's fucking freezing in here."

Pushing away the brown curtains, Evelyn reached out to shut the window; her eyes catching sight of two men dressed in dark coats and flat caps standing opposite the house. _Blinders_.

Clenching her jaw, Evelyn stepped away from the glass when one of the men looked up in her direction; quickly moving to put on her shoes and rushing out of the bedroom – Cyril making no effort to move from his spot on the bed.

Running down the steps, Evelyn hesitated to open the door; hand resting on the handle. Once she left the house, that was it. Her brother would know that she had been staying with Alfie – and while Tommy could be as dumb as horse shit, it didn't take a genius to figure out why. He would easily put two and two together and that would be it, he would take her back to Small Heath and she wouldn't be permitted to see Alfie again. 

The pair had been so wrapped up in the safety of their little box in London knowing that while everyone in Camden Town knew that they were together, they weren't going to actively inform Evelyn's brother. 

Huffing, Evelyn rested her forehead against the wood of the door; before twisting the doorknob and swinging it open. Holding her head high, she shut the door with a click – wrapping her coat around her body tighter as she walked straight past the two men who immediately began to follow her. 

Reaching the distillery, Evelyn noticed that Ollie wasn't in his usual place at the doors; waiting for her to arrive. Worry settled in deep within her chest and she didn't even look back as the doors she swung open slammed into the face of the man closest behind her; him letting out a loud grunt at the force.

Her eyes darted around the room before they landed on a couple of workers who were all staring intently at her, eyes slightly wide. 

"Where's Alfie?" Evelyn strangled out, running a hand through her knotted auburn hair. 

"In his office Miss. Shelby," the largest of the five spoke up, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. "I must tell you that he has a guest-"

Evelyn cut off his sentence by beginning to head towards the office, barely sparing a glance at the blinders; one of the two cupping his nose that was obviously bleeding. 

"Miss. Shelby!" The worker called, causing Evelyn to turn her head. "His guest is your brother; Tommy Shelby."

Just her luck.


	11. 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

**EVER SINCE SHE** was a young girl, Evelyn hated being in trouble. She could count on her two hands the amount of times that aunt Polly had yelled at her; most of them being for fighting with her siblings or stealing roses from the old woman who lived on the end of Watery Lane. 

However, as much as Evelyn hated being scolded by her aunt, she utterly despised the scolding that came from her older brothers; especially Tommy. It may have been because of the time she was seven and stole Tommy's gun that he had carelessly left on the kitchen table – taking it to school to proudly show off; Evelyn swore she had never seen Tommy so angry at her before; smoke practically coming out of his ears.

Then there was the time she had uncontrollably cried over her father leaving their family. Tommy had sat her down on the steps to their house, telling her that she wasn't allowed back inside until she stopped shedding tears over a man who would always choose himself over his family.

That would explain the way she was hesitant to open the door that led into Alfie's office. Evelyn had gotten so used to walking in without a care in the world, knowing that no matter what Alfie would always be delighted to see her; but this time she had no idea what she was walking into.

Trying to stop her hand from shaking, Evelyn pushed open the door – drawing the attention of the three men inside the room. Ollie was the only one to offer her a smile and wave, Alfie only nodded at her; his eyes lighting up with excitement that he tried to keep hidden under the scrutinising gaze of Tommy Shelby who hadn't even turned around in his seat. 

"Tom," Evelyn reluctantly spoke, shutting the door behind her. "What brings you back to London."

Gesturing for her to take the seat next to him, Evelyn was quick to sit down – eyes meeting Alfie's, his presence easing her tremendously. Tommy cleared his throat, causing Evelyn to look towards him with a confused expression.

"Eve," he greeted, before holding his pack of cigarettes out to her; taking one for himself. Lighting both their cigs, Tommy let his hang out the corner of his mouth as he spoke. "I closed the deal with the Russians."

Nodding, Evelyn looked back and forth between Alfie and Tommy before speaking. "Why didn't you call?" She questioned.

"I wanted to tell Mr. Solomons about it in person. There's something I would like him to do."

"What's that?" 

Resting her elbow on the armrest of the chair, Evelyn let her cigarette burn out openly in the air; finally taking a look at Alfie. He appeared tense, hands clasped together so tight his knuckles were turning white – while his expression remained calm. It was something that Evelyn admired about Alfie, his ability to remain composed on the outside but inside he was furious; his mind was running one-hundred miles a minute.

"I'll explain the details back in Birmingham," Tommy nodded, voice low as he looked between his sister and the Jewish gangster. "Alfie will meet us there."

"I'm going back with you?" 

"That's why I came instead of phoning you. I'll be expecting you in five minutes – sort everything out with Mr. Solomons."

With that, the older Shelby stood; stumping out his cigarette in the glass ashtray that Alfie had gotten specifically for Evelyn when she smoked while they worked. Ollie walked Tommy out of the distillery leaving the couple awkwardly seated opposite each other in silence. 

"Are we actually joining my brother?" Evelyn questioned, eyebrow raised as she walked around the desk to rest her hand on his shoulder. Alfie only let out the breath he didn't even realise he was holding at the soothing feeling of her touch, looking up at her with a tender stare. 

"Yeah, that's the fuckin' plan love. Don't really have much of a choice do we?"

"He's going to get us all killed. You know that right?" Alfie only nodded in response, before the girl broke a grin; bending slightly to peck his lips. "You're going to hate Small Heath."

"I fuckin' know I will," Alfie smiled back, before gesturing for her to follow her brother. "I'll see yer' soon, yeah?"

"Of course," Evelyn smiled brightly, before leaving the office; a nagging feeling in the back of her mind – whatever Tommy had planned, wasn't good.

~~~~~~~~

"Eve," Polly grinned, arms wide open for a hug as her niece got out of Tommy's car. The young girl was quick to wrap herself in her aunts arms. "Come, it's cold outside. Your brothers are waiting in the betting shop."

Following after her aunt; Tommy trailing behind the two women, all three of them entered. Evelyn's heart leapt at the sound of Arthur's boisterous laughter and John's yells, a smile gracing her timid features as they stopped and looked towards her.

"Eve!" Arthur grinned, walking towards his sister; swiftly pulling her into a side-hug. "I've fucking missed ya!"

"I missed you too, Arthur," Eve chuckled, before looking towards both Finn and John. "Come here you two, give your sister a fucking hug."

Not wasting a second, both boys rushed towards their sister, pulling her into a tight embrace filled with laughter. Pulling away, Evelyn ruffled Finn's hair and punched John lightly on the shoulder before turning her attention to Tommy who was leaning against the wall to her right, watching the exchange.

"What time is Alfie arriving?" She questioned, causing Tommy to tilt his head slightly; an action that everyone but Eve picked up.

"I gave him three hours to get here."

Giving her brother a polite nod, Evelyn closed her eyes briefly while rolling her rigid shoulders before speaking. "I think I'm going to go lie down until then, the boat ride over was terribly uncomfortable."

With confirmations from her brothers and a kiss on the cheek from Polly, Evelyn made her way out of the betting shop and to her old room that remained just the way she left it; untouched. Flopping down on the bed, Evelyn didn't even bother to take off her shoes as she felt her eyes falling shut – knowing that she wouldn't be getting proper rest for a while.

~~~~~~~~

Tommy Shelby knew his sister better than anyone. He was a man who learnt a lot about someone solidly through observation, he knew when someone was hiding something just by the tone of their voice and from the moment that Evelyn had walked into Alfie's office and spoke his name, he knew she was keeping something from him and he had a pretty good idea of what that was.

Polly watched as her nephew lit a cigarette, pouring himself a glass of gin before taking his seat at the head of the table with a huff. Arthur, John and Finn were all silent as they waited for their brother to start talking, looking at their aunt who was clenching her jaw.

"Thomas," she drew the syllables of his name out, watching as he only moved his eyes to look at her. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing, Poll."

"Bullshit," Polly spat, causing Tommy to finally turn his head towards her; irritation sketched onto his features. "I raised you so I know when you're keeping shit to yourself. What's going on Thomas?"

Sighing, Tommy tapped his cigarette ashes onto the floor before he spoke. "It's Eve."

"What about her?" Arthur piped up, curiosity clear.

"She's sleeping with Solomons."

"What?" Polly hissed, hands clenching. "Thomas you better be fucking sure before you go around throwing out accusations like that about your sister."

"My men saw her," Tommy held up a hand to quiet the uproar that everyone was causing. "I had Scudboat living in a house across from her in case anyone got word that another Shelby was staying in London. About a month ago he phoned saying that Eve hadn't returned home, I didn't really think much of it – she used to do the same thing when she was here at home."

"You had someone watching her?" Polly interrupted, Tommy's glare was enough to have her rolling her eyes.

"I told him to wait until to see if she arrived home the next day; she didn't. After that I sent a couple of blinders who were in London to go searching for her – they found her at Solomons distillery. I believed they were only doing business until one of the men phoned late at night to tell me that he saw Alfie take Eve to his house. I told him and his friend to wait outside Solomons house over the week. She was there everyday and walked hand in fucking hand with him to his work."

Arthur decided he had enough, kicking over one of the chairs at the table. "No fuckin' way, Tom! There's no way that Eve would ever fuck a man like Solomons," he spat. 

"I didn't believe it until I saw it with me own fucking eyes," Tommy shut him up, voice calm compared to his brothers. "They both were staring at each other with those fucking eyes you make when you're in love."

"I don't fucking believe it," Arthur shook his head, teeth clenching together. "It can't be true, Tom."

"Alfie will be here in an hour. See for your-fucking-self." 

Having the last say, Tommy left the tense room – seating himself in the living room until Alfie arrived.


	12. 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞

THE RUMBLE OF a car engine woke Evelyn, the booming call of her name from Arthur causing her to exit her bedroom and enter the living room. There stood her family, Tommy leaning against the wall in the hallway near the front door as he watched his sister look around the room before her attention landed on him.

"Mr. Solomons has arrived," he grunted out while opening the front door, gesturing for Evelyn to leave the house first.

Evelyn didn't speak as she walked out onto the street of Watery Lane, the gravel scratching the soles of her shoes. The sound of Alfie's enthusiastic voice echoing throughout the area caused Evelyn to chuckle lightly when she turned in his direction to see a disgruntled appearance on his face.

"Fuckin' 'ell!" The man cursed, hitting the bottom of his walking stick on the ground. "Smells like fuckin' pig 'round here, innit?"

Evelyn found herself holding her laughter as she watched her boyfriend complain to the bearded man who had tagged along on his journey; the gangsters hands flying out around him as if to prove his point. Sensing that someone was staring at him, Alfie's head turned in Evelyn's direction; a beaming smile gracing his face when he saw the girl.

Walking towards her, he continued with his dramatics. "Come to Small Heath! You will go to hell for fuckin' breathing!"

"I told you that you'd hate it, Mr. Solomons," Evelyn teased, forgetting that her older brother was behind her watching the exchange. 

"I don't understand how a doll like you grew up here, fuckin' tragic that is."

"I think I turned out alright," Evelyn shrugged, Alfie quick to agree with her before turning his attention to Tommy who was adjusting his glasses in annoyance.

"Tommy, long time no see!" The buff man joked, resting one of his hands in his coat pocket. "Can't believe, right, that you made me fuckin' come all the way out here to have a fuckin' meeting. Can you believe that, love?" Alfie asked Evelyn who shrugged in response before looking at her brother.

"No, I can not believe it, Mr. Solomons," Evelyn raised a brow towards Tommy. "He was already in London; could have just done it there."

Shaking his head, Tommy gestured for the pair to come inside. "I wanted to inform everyone at the same time."

Following a grouchy Tommy into the house, Evelyn took Alfie's coat and hung it on the hooks on the wall before motioning for him to enter the betting shop; her family having moved themselves in there as they awaited the meeting.

"Well if it isn't more fuckin' Shelby's," Alfie mocked, Evelyn only then noticing that John had brought along Esme and the kids who were playing in the corner of the room with Charlie. Polly seeming to have arrived as well. "There seems to another one of yer' every time I fuckin' blink."

"Alf," Evelyn whispered, elbowing him in the side of his torso; trying to hide a laugh. 

"Right!" Tommy began, his eyes never once leaving the figures of both Alfie and Evelyn. "Now that we have everyone here, we can fucking begin. I've called a family meeting so we can talk about the deal I made with the Russians."

"I'm flattered-" Alfie began, before Evelyn shot him a look to tell him to shut up – the entire family watching their exchange, Tommy choosing to ignore it and continue his speech. 

"We're going to pull off a heist. Mr. Solomons is going to accompany me to choose jewels as an appraiser, with his expertise we will only obtain those of a high value. They plan to stiff us on the bill, so we are going to break into their vault." 

"We're robbing 'em?" John pipped up while Esme came to rest her hand on his shoulder. Tommy rubbed his bottom lip before speaking.

"I have a seperate job for you and Arthur. I need you two to come along with me when I visit them. Evelyn, I want you and Finn to stay by the train station; an explosion has been prepared and I want you to make sure it's seen through."

"Tom-"

Before Arthur could say his piece Tommy held up his hand to silence his older brother, his stare flitting over to where Evelyn had placed her palm on Alfie's lower hip – rubbing small circles to help keep him calm.

"I don't want to hear any complaints," he spoke before clenching his teeth; eyes never leaving his sister and Alfie. "You will all do your part and not complain."

Knowing there was no way that Tommy was going to change his mind that was made up and set in stone, everyone in the room sat in silence before Alfie decided to fill it. Turning so he could look at his girlfriend who was nervously bitting her nails; a habit that he had tried to make her stop.

Pulling her hand away from her mouth, Alfie looked down at her. "Right, well, while I'm in your fuckin' pigs-tai of a town, I would love a fuckin' drink, yeah?"

"Eve," Tommy spoke, a frustrated air floating around him. "Take Mr. Solomons to the Garrison. This is all happening after dark – don't be fucking late."

With a small 'okay,' Evelyn led Alfie back out of the house; her brothers all watching and waiting until they heard the front door slam shut.

"Fucking hell," Polly spat, flicking the end of her cigarette before pointing it at her nephew, Tommy lighting his own cig. "You were right, she is fucking Solomons."

~~~~~~~~

Relief flooded Alfie's veins as he entered the Garrison with Evelyn holding his hand. The pub was empty, but Evelyn made her way around the bar – her actions seeming natural as she pulled out a bottle of rum and two glasses; filling them before sliding one along the countertop to Alfie.

"I've got a bad feeling 'bout tonight, Eve," Alfie muttered, downing the drink. "Fuckin' with the Russians ain't going to end well."

Evelyn sighed. "Me too, but there's no way my brother is giving up now that he's this far along with the plan."

The pair sat in a comfortable silence, Evelyn pouring Alfie another drink while she took sips of her own. With a deep exhale, Alfie gestured with two fingers for Evelyn to come back around the counter; his hands instinctively finding their way to the dips of her hips.

"My mum, yeah, had to flee from persecution in Russia; they hunted her down with fuckin' dogs. My fuckin' father though, right, he was one of those people who was born bad, yeah. He was a fuckin' adulterer, had a whole lot of children and didn't stay to help raise them," Alfie told the girl who had began running a hand through his hair, his head resting against her chest.

"At least that is what I've been told, yeah, so I'm fuckin' told because all I ever saw of him was his fuckin' hat. My mother hung it on the wall above the sink where she washed people's laundry. A holy fuckin' relic."

Evelyn didn't know what to say, in the time she had taken to get to know Alfie he had only ever told her of his mother. The way he spoke of her made Evelyn believe the woman was an angel sent down to grace earth; but he had never spoken about his father – only telling her that he was a "fuckin' bastard." That was something she was awfully familiar with.

"It's the one I wear," Alfie added, gesturing to the hat that was on the counter next to them without raising his head. "It still smells of fuckin' Portugal water when I wear it. Can yer' believe that, right, my ma washed bedsheets and my father was a fuckin' hat."

Evelyn could relate to the resentment Alfie had towards his father; Arthur Shelby Sr. was a piece of shit who she could never forgive. Cupping Alfie's face in her palms, Evelyn gently lifted his head so she could look at his eyes; the pretty turquoise was clouded with tears that he forced himself not to shed.

"My father was a piece of shit too," Evelyn spoke, a heavy feeling creeping up on her. "He was a hustler. He stole, was involved with whores and abandoned all of his children while we were still young. I remember being so confused when he left for good, it was just after my mum died so I refused to believe my father was gone too."

Alfie watched intently as Evelyn reached for her glass with a shaky hand, his own quickly covering hers to stop her from spilling her drink over herself; helping her lift it to her lips. With a quiet whisper of 'thank you' Evelyn continued.

"I was heartbroken and trying to process the fact that my mother was gone; a good woman was dead. Polly was quick to take over the motherly role, she had lost both her children – Anna and Michael a few years back. She raised us like her own, that's why I trust her the most out of my family," Evelyn sighed, words getting stuck in her throat. 

"My dad died a couple of years ago – Polly and I cursed him so he would eternally feel the pain he put all of his children through in the afterlife. Tom found Michael not too long ago, his twin sister, Anna, passed though."

Pulling his girl onto his lap as he sat on the stool, Alfie and Evelyn held each other; two broken hearts finally feeling whole.

"If anything goes wrong tonight, love," Alfie whispered, brushing a few strands of Evelyn's hair out of her eyes and tucking them behind her ears. "Please don't curse my fuckin' grave, yeah?"

A sound between a sob and laugh rumbled through Evelyn's chest as she swatted Alfie's shoulder. "Shut up!"

"This scares me," Alfie admitted, the words forcing themselves out of his mouth; Alfie Solomons never admitted to being afraid. "I feel like, right, I feel like I can tell you things that I can't even tell myself."

Choosing to show, not tell; Evelyn rested her hand against the back of Alfie's neck before meekly pulling him towards her, encasing his lips in a kiss that told him a thousand more words and emotions than she could ever speak. 

He knew he was home when his lips touched hers.


	13. 𝐭𝐞𝐧

**THE SOUND OF** Alfie's laughter was enough to have Evelyn smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. The girl buried her face in his chest as he held her by the cut, hiding her blushing pink cheeks from his view. 

Evelyn had decided to take Alfie to the only decent place in Small Heath. The cut was the place that Evelyn would go to just let her emotions run free. She visited the first time alone when her brothers had been drafted and cried out into the open air for hours – from then on it was the only place she could go and not be intruded on by a member of her family or nosy people in the neighbourhood. 

After the events of the previous night, both Evelyn and Alfie barely got any sleep – the pair walking around Small Heath until the sun came up. Which was when Evelyn decided to take her lover to her safe place. Alfie had quickly sat underneath the huge oak tree, pulling the girl in-between his legs; her back pressed against his chest.

"It's in yer' fuckin' Gypsy roots," Alfie teased referring to where she had taken him, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. His head lowered so he could converse solely with just her. "How are yer' ears?"

Kissing her teeth, Evelyn only shook her head – ears still ringing from the blast of the train that she was present for. "Still hurt, should go away in a few hours though. Tommy said the blast killed six men."

Sighing, Alfie tugged the girl impossibly closer to himself – to comfort himself or her, he wasn't too sure.

"I had killed only two men in my life before last night," Evelyn mumbled, beginning to play with Alfie's fingers. "Now I've killed eight."

"You'll be okay," Alfie whispered back, knowing that his words could barely console her. "If you need me to shoulder some of the burden, I'm here."

"You're far too kind to me, but I can't ask that of you. I don't deserve you."

"I'm yer' man, it's part of my job," Alfie stopped her from saying anything else; because if anyone didn't deserve the other, Alfie believed he didn't deserve the girl who was tracing small hearts on the back of his hand.

"I've got to go to the family meeting," Evelyn sighed when she looked at the pocket watch on Alfie's waist, pulling away from his comforting touch to stand up. "I wish you could come."

"It'd probably end with me mouthing off to yer' brother and then Tommy, yeah, he would fucking threaten me again," Alfie laughed, holding his hand out as Evelyn helped him stand; his sciatica had been worse since he left London and Evelyn wanted to help in any way she could. 

Noticing Evelyn shaking, Alfie gave a tiny shake of his head at the thin pink dress she was wearing – her white stockings barely providing any warmth. Quickly shrugging off his coat, Alfie wrapped it around her shoulders, helping her put her arms through the sleeves. 

"Alf, now you're going to be cold!" Evelyn scolded, trying to remove the coat. "It's my fault for not putting on something thicker." Alfie quickly stopped her fussing, He would rather go cold if it meant she wouldn't get sick.

"Right, well I wouldn't fuckin' give yer' my clothes if you didn't need them more than me. Now stop complaining and leave the coat on." 

"You're such a gentleman," Evelyn smiled softly. "At least to me."

With a hum of agreement, Alfie gently pulled Evelyn's face towards his; planting a tender kiss on her lips. " _Only_ to you," he muttered, reluctantly pulling away from her; his forehead pressing against hers. "I'll meet you at the dock in an hour."

Nodding, Evelyn pecked his lips once again before beginning to walk away slowly. "I love you Alfie Solomons!" She shouted, over her shoulder causing Alfie to freeze on the spot. Of course, the first time she told him she loved him would be as she was walking away from him.

"Yer' fuckin' crazy, Evelyn Shelby!" He yelled, about to tell her those three little words right back, but Evelyn stopped him.

"Not now! You can tell me when we go back to London, maybe even make love to me when you say it!" 

Alfie would have married her on the spot.

~~~~~~~~~

Thomas Shelby was a man of very few words, but those he did speak were honest and often hard to hear. He liked to believe that he was the one in charge, the one who held all the power of decisions in the situations he got himself into.

He knew the choice he was about to inform his family of was going to ruffle a lot of feathers and he was sure Polly was going to have his head – but this was what he did. Tommy made the tough sacrifices so his family didn't have to. At least that's what he told himself. 

He ignored the gentle hum of voices filling his office, his family members all arriving. He felt his new wife, Lizzie, place a kiss to the crown of his head but he could barely pay her any mind; she too would hate him after what he was about to do. 

Tommy's head perked up when he heard Ada let out a curt, "where's our bloody sister?" Noticing that the only one who hadn't arrived yet was Evelyn. He let out a puff of smoke from his cigarette, tapping his fingers on the desk.

"Probably fucking Solomons," Arthur spoke, disgust evident in his voice. Ada's face scrunched up in distaste to her brothers words.

"What on bloody Earth are you talking about?"

Before either of them could say more, the girl in topic strode in; a light flush covering her cheeks as she wrapped the coat Alfie had lent her tighter around her body.

"Why are we here, Tom?" Evelyn spoke, resting against one of his bookcases; ignoring the looks her family was giving her. "I'm catching the boat back to London with Alfie in an hour, we're going to have to make this quick."

"So you _are_ fucking Solomons?!" Ada scrutinised her sister, arms crossing across her chest before she stared at Tom with wide eyes. "So you throw a fucking tantrum when you find out I was dating Freddie, but let our little sister go around with Alfie fucking Solomons?"

Evelyn only rolled her eyes at her sisters argument, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth to stop herself from spitting harsh words Ada's way. She despised the way her family spoke down on Alfie like he was any worse than they are; like he was some monster for making the same choices they all would.

"'Bout time you all figured that out," Evelyn decided to taunt everyone instead. "What gave it away? The fact that I'm wearing his coat?"

Before an argument could ensue, Tommy cut everyone off with a thunderous 'enough!' Slamming his hands down on his desk as he stood, frustration was evident in the way he held himself. The last twenty-four hours had taken their toll on the man. Between being forced to blow up the train that the Bolsheviks would not do themselves to helping Michael kill Father Hughes and trying to rob the Russians – he was exhausted and wanted it to be over.

But it was never that easy and he needed to say what he wanted to say before he ran out of time. 

"Before we begin, I want to let you know I made a mistake," Tommy began, casting a glance around the room. "I made a mistake and I want to apologise to all of you. Arthur, you warned me against getting involved in business with the Russians and you were right."

Everyones attention was drawn to the eldest Shelby sibling, him only letting out a grunt as an answer. Tommy continued, nodding towards Arthurs wife, Linda.

"I doubted your wife and for that I'm sorry. Linda I've added three thousand here in the hope you will forgive me."

The blond woman quickly grabbed the wad of cash out of Tommy's hands, harshly letting out an "apology accepted."

"Esme," Tommy looked toward John's wife, who was rubbing her hand on her husbands knee in comfort. "I doubted you as well."

"now John's got innocent lives on his conscience. Ordinary working men," Esme bit back at Tommy. 

John huffed in annoyance towards his wife and spat a "yeah, alright Esme." Tommy only pointed his finger towards his younger brother, effectively shutting him up.

"No, she's right. You, Arthur and Evelyn are all going to have to share that burden. But I hope that the house you can buy for your family with this money can become a place of contemplation – perhaps, redemption."

Everyone watched as Tommy tossed a bundle of money into John's lap; Esme quickly snatching it up before John could touch it. Evelyn laughed under her breath at the woman's actions, she definitely fit right into the Shelby family.

"Evelyn," Tommy looked towards his sister, her whole body turning rigid at the sound of her name coming from his mouth. "Alfie made me promise that you wouldn't get hurt during the execution of the plan. Instead, you stand here today with the lives of six men on your conscience just like your brothers. This money isn't enough to make up for that, but it will ease the burden when you go back to London."

Before he could throw the money to the girl, Polly shot up out of her seat. "You're letting her go back to London?"

"Did you expect her to stay?" Tommy shot back. "She's hated this place, even when she was a kid. Alfie will take care of her."

Polly was bewildered. "Since when were you suddenly on the side of your little sister dating The Wandering Jew?" Tommy only ignored her, finally throwing the money to the girl.

"Charlie, for lost tools, dangerous goods, and Curly's wise words. Johnny, for board and lodgings," he proceed to hand out money, before addressing the last two people in the room. "Lizzie-"

Lizzie seized the money that Tommy slid to her, slamming it back down on the desk, Tommy sighed in annoyance before continuing. "Michael, for the killings. Five for cutting and five for shooting."

A strained silence settled in the room as Polly snatched the money Tommy was handing her son – the Shelby's watching their aunt fume with anger.

"No, Tommy. No." She gritted through clenched teeth.

"What?! Huh? Tell me, eh!" Tommy yelled back at his aunt, the entire room flinching at the way his voice bellowed through the room. "This is who I am and this is all I can give you for what you give me! For your hearts and your souls!

"For what?! For this? And I know that you all want me to say that I'll change, that this fucking business will change – but I've learnt something in the last few days. Those bastards! Those _bastards_ are worse than us!"

Tommy was furious and nobody could stop him when he got into one of these moods. Evelyn closed herself off by tucking the cash into Alfie's jacket pocket, wrapping her arms around her chest – the strong scent of rum and purely Alfie comforted her.

"Politicians, fucking judges, lords and ladies; they are worse than us!" Tommy pressed on. "They will never admit us to their palaces, no matter how legitimate we become, because of who we are! Because of who we fucking are and where we're fucking from. Isn't that right Ada?"

A scowl grew on Ada's pretty face at the mention of her name; choosing not to say anything as Tommy continued to rant.

"Ada got smart about revolution and she knows that you have to get what you want your own way – same goes for our Evelyn. I sent her to London to do business with Solomons and instead she starts fucking the man – but we all do what we have to do to survive."

" _Fuck you_ , Tom," Evelyn seethed, Ada stood from her seat and walked over to her sisters side to show that she supported Evelyn's words. She may not agree with Evelyn's relationship, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let Tommy talk down on them.

"Lizzie, I want it known that money was for you because, some nights, it was you who stopped my heart from breaking. No-one else. And the rest of you, you took the King's shilling. You took the King's fucking shilling and when you take the King's shilling, the King expects you to kill. Right, Arthur?" 

"Yeah..." Arthur agreed, not too sure where Tommy was going with his words.

"John?" Tommy questioned, causing John to nod. "That's right, Pol. That's fucking right." 

Polly sighed, rubbing her face tiredly before trying to mellow her nephew. "Tommy, you've had a bad time. We understand. So at an alternative time, when we have all recovered, I would like to put before the family and alternative view of the future of Shelby Company Limited. A more hopeful view."

"Which I, for one, would quite like to hear," Evelyn spoke, causing agreements from most of the women in the room.

Standing up, Linda rubbed Arthur's shoulder before moving to walk out of the room. "Come on, Arthur. The train dock leaves in one hour, the we'll get the boat to New York and it'll all be in the past."

Nodding, Arthur hit his palms against his thighs before rising to his feet. "I'll be off then, Tom."

"As will I. Alfie is waiting for me," Evelyn smiled at the thought of Alfie, before walking over to Arthur who pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "Be safe, Arthur."

"You too Eve. If Solomons ever hurts ya', you know where to find me and Linda."

"You both can go," Tommy interrupted, drawing the attention of the room back to himself. "But you won't get far."

Evelyn's eyebrows furrowed. "What the fuck are you talking about, Tom?"

"I spoke to Moss last night. He told me that the Chief Constable of Birmingham has issued a warrant for your arrests. Arthur, for murder, sedition and conspiracy to cause an explosion. John, murder, conspiracy to cause explosion. Evelyn, they're coming for you as a well, For the murders and conspiracy to cause explosion."

"What the fuck?!" Panic rose in Evelyn's body, the need to be sick creeping up on her as Tommy recounted what she would be arrested for. The entire room erupting into chaos as everyone manically yelled at Tommy.

Evelyn's breathing became rapid, feeling as though the room around her became smaller; Tommy continued to recount why everyone was being arrest. Her hand gripped Arthur's shoulder so she wouldn't fall to the ground in a heap, his arms instantly hooking around her waist to stabilise her.

"The people we betrayed last night want to bring us down!" Tommy shouted over the sounds of everyone yelling at him. "They control the police, the judges, the juries. They control the jails but they do not control the elected Government. I made a deal in return for giving evidence against them."

"You're our brother!" Evelyn barely felt herself speak or move, until suddenly she was standing in front of Tommy's desk – hand slapping across his cheek. "I'm your little sister! You're supposed to protect me! They'll hang us, Thomas!"

Tommy clenched his jaw at his sisters harsh words, but he refused to meet her hateful stare. She was right, he vowed to protect her but now he was breaking that vow and sacrificing her freedom for the greater good.

"Lizzie," Tommy spoke, looking toward his wife who was just as angry at him. "Collect up the money and bring it to the cellar. You will all get your money in due course. When the police get in do not resist, you go with them and you do not say anything."

Evelyn lunged over the desk to grab her brothers shirt, but was pulled away by Arthur and John. "Let me go! Fuck you, Tommy! You're no brother of mine!" Tommy looked directly at his sister, watching as tears began to pour down her cheeks.

"I made this deal with people even more powerful than our enemies. You need to trust me."

"Trust you?!" Evelyn screamed, wishing nothing more than to punch Tommy as hard as she could. "You did this to us! Fuck you – tell Alfie where I am! You at least owe me fucking that!"

As Evelyn was slammed into the wall by one of the policemen, it settled in that she was going to jail and all she could think about is how Alfie would be at the docks waiting for her with an empty promise – not knowing where she was.


	14. 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

**ALFIE SOLOMONS HAD** never been so panicked. When Evelyn was late to show at the docks, he watched as people boarded the boat – eyes darting around the murky area hoping to see her running towards him. Instead, the boat left and he was still standing alone after sending Ishmael back home to London without him. 

With a groan, he debated whether or not to pay the Shelby's a visit at Tommy's estate; but decided against it – ultimately waiting another hour at the docks before realising that Evelyn wasn't going to show. So with a heavy heart, Alfie drove himself to Arrow House; thoughts of what could have held his girl up running wildly through his mind.

Alfie's hips ached as he walked as fast as he could to the front door that was wide open; a nauseating feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He ignored the maid who called out and asked who he was, heading straight for the office that Tommy had spoken to him to on the night he first met Evelyn. 

Pushing the door open, Alfie pretended not to notice the way it hit the wall with a thud; the handle making a hole in the plaster wall.

"Thomas!" He bellowed, watching the Shelby man take a drag of his cigarette as he stared out of the window, the Shelby man not even reacting to Alfie's entrance. "Sorry for the fuckin' intrusion, but a certain sister of yours said that she would be meetin' me at the docks in an hour, right, you wouldn't perhaps know where she is?"

Letting his arm fall to his side, Tommy tossed his smoking cigarette to the ground before stomping it out and turning to look at Alfie who was trying to hide his worry behind his usual confidence. The empty seats all lined up in front of Tommy's desk indicated to Alfie that there was actually family meeting and Evelyn didn't decide to just skip out on him.

"Now I know she was here, because that Eve wouldn't lie to me," Alfie continued, hands clenched around the handle of his cane. "So if you would so kindly give me her whereabouts and I'll be off to fuckin' find her."

Tommy watched as the usually poised man that was Alfie Solomons became slightly unhinged when he finally spoke up. "She's not here anymore, Alfie."

"Well yeah mate, I can fuckin' see that," Alfie huffed, taking his hat off and running his hand through his knotted and slightly greasy hair. "Where the fuck is she?"

Tommy clenched his jaw, sitting down in his chair behind his desk; running a hand down his face. "I didn't think you were the type to lose your sanity for a girl?" Tommy mulled, trying his hardest to put off telling Alfie about what had happened; although it was inevitable.

"Right, well I didn't fuckin' think so either," Alfie offered Tommy a tight lipped smile, annoyance evident in his posture. "Now I fuckin' swear, Tommy, I swear that if you don't tell me where I can find Eve I will fuckin' shove this walkin' stick, yeah, right up yer' fuckin' a-"

"She's in jail," Tommy interrupted Alfie's threat.

Alfie felt himself physically freeze at Tommy's words, his eyes narrowed and head tilted as he analysed the man for any sign that he was lying; pointing the end of his walking stick towards Tommy when he came up empty.

"She's – I'm sorry mate, she's fucking what?!" His voice was penetrating, the sound causing Tommy to stiffen in his seat. 

"In jail Alfie," Tommy repeated, not reacting when Alfie stormed around his desk and plucked him off his seat by his collar. "She was arrested just like the rest of my family."

Pushing Tommy back into his seat with as much force as he could muster, Alfie was enraged, spit flying from his lips as he yelled his next words. "What the fuckin' shit?!"

"Alfie, I did what needed to be fucking done-"

"You got her arrested?!" Alfie was far past reasoning with Tommy as the man tried to get him to calm down. "I'm going to blow yer' fuckin' brains out!"

"Alfie, I had to fucking do it!"

"Yeah, well yer' want to know what I fuckin' think, eh?!" Alfie hissed, sweeping his arm through the air as a gesture towards Tommy's house. "This! This is what fuckin' ignorance does!"

Tommy grunted in response, he wasn't going to argue with Alfie when he was right. Tommy knew he was ignorant, it was what made him make the deal and ultimately sell out his family.

"I'm going to get her out Alfie, you've just got to give me some time," Tommy's monotonous voice broke the strained silence. "My sister is my responsibility. She always has been since the moment she was born."

Alfie only spoke through gritted teeth, wanting nothing more than to punch the Peaky Blinder in the face. "Fuck off! She's not yer' fuckin' responsibility anymore, innit? Yer' lost that privilege the moment you sold her out to the coppers."

"Alfie, I will fight for my family until my last fucking breath; that includes Evelyn whether you like it or not. I'll choose her happiness over mine, which is why once I sort this shit out I'm allowing her to go back to London with _you_ and I won't interfere with her life anymore."

Alfie didn't respond, only running his fingers through his beard and dipping his chin to indicate that he appreciated Tommy's words.

"She'll be fine, Evelyn's the toughest out of all of us," Tommy tried to provide some form of comfort to the man who he still didn't fully trust – but even he didn't believe his own words. "She's a Shelby, nothing is going to happen to her." 

"It's in the name, innit? She's got a fuckin' target on her back _because_ she's a _Shelby_ ," Alfie spat with disgust before deciding to leave Tommy's office, only stopping at the doorway to threaten the man once more. "If one hair upon her pretty head is out of place, I will fuckin' shoot yer' daft head off yer' shoulders."

Tommy could only nod in agreement. 

~~~~~~~

The reverberating sound of metal hitting metal snapped Evelyn out of her trance, her body instinctively curling closer to the corner of her cell. Pleas of "not again," passing her lips, her fingertips mindlessly tracing the blue and purple hues of the bruise around her wrist as she stared directly ahead.

"Miss. Shelby," one of the guards spoke up, his voice echoing through the small hallway as he unlocks the barred door. "You have to come with us."

"What?" Evelyn spluttered, throat hurting from the lack of water. Her stomach did flips as she was pulled to her feet by two more guards. "It's not time yet! I wan't to call my lawyer!"

The three burly men ignored her pleas, holding her arms as they dragged her out of the musty cell while she began kicking her legs out to try to pull away from their unyielding grips; neither letting go. Tears welled up on her lash-line as she saw her aunt Polly a few feet ahead of her.

"Pol! Aunt Polly!" She shrieked, voice cracking. Upon hearing her niece, Polly's head turned backward as she too began to push back against the guards hauling her up the steps to where two nooses were strung down from the ceiling.

"Eve!" The older woman was sullen as she felt the rope be placed around her neck, right hand reaching out to Evelyn, the pair gripping each other as tight as they could.

Evelyn felt her chest constrict, her sobs sounding throughout the room; her entire body shaking as the rope was placed around her neck. Her head turned in her aunts direction, trying to find comfort in the woman who had her eyes clenched shut, muttering something under her breath in Shelta. Polly's usually glowing features were glum and the realisation that she was going to die made Evelyn's hand clench Polly's just a little tighter.

They were about to die, but at least it would be together.

"No Heaven, no Hell. No innocence in the bleak midwinter," Polly recited the poem that had become her family's byword since the boys were in the war. Closing her eyes, Evelyn joined in.

"In the bleak midwinter. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is," she whispered, before letting Polly continue.

"Oh, Lord Jesus, with this rope, pull us up to heaven," Polly's words shook as she began to weep, Evelyn finally breaking when she heard her aunt let out a small sob. "I see your face shining down on me."

The sound of running footsteps and a yell of "No! Stop! Wait!" Stopped the guards from pulling the ropes; Evelyn let out a shaky breath as she opened her eyes. There, at the steps of the platform she was standing on, stood a man frantically waving a sheet of paper.

"They've been spared by order of the King!"

Relief was all Evelyn felt as her entire body fell to the ground when the noose was removed from her neck. Polly was quick to pull her niece into her arms, the pair holding the other as tightly as humanly possible, crying onto each others shoulders.

They were alive.


	15. 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞

𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧, 𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟓

 **AMUSEMENT WAS EVIDENT** on Evelyn's face as she watched Alfie curse, chasing Cyril around the living room. The dog squeezing himself between the back of the ancient lounge she was sitting on and the wall.

"Fuckin' mutt," Alfie cursed, squinting his eyes as he tried to beckon the bullmastiff out. "Give me the fuckin' decoration, yeah?"

With a small giggle, Evelyn placed her book down on the cushion beside her; reaching over the couch to grab the red bauble out of Cyril's mouth – the dog immediately dropping it into her palm.

"Of course you give it to yer' mother," Alfie grunted, the corners of his mouth tilting upward when Evelyn gave him the decoration – a fondness growing in Evelyn's heart at his words. 

"Who was the one who rescued you from the fuckin' fightin' ring?" Alfie continued to grumble to the dog who had crept out from behind the couch and was sitting by his feet as Alfie decorated the tree in front of him. "Me. I fucking rescued yer', right, and this is how yer' repay the man who should be a God in yer' eyes, innit?"

A loud giggle burst out of Evelyn's mouth before she could stop it, watching as Alfie turned towards her with his hands on his hips; a teasing grin on his face.

"That goes for you too," he pointed a finger towards Evelyn who let out a sarcastic hum. "Here I am allowing you, as my girl, to have a fuckin' Christmas tree of all things in our living room, sacrificing my perfectly good rug-"

"It's an ugly rug," Evelyn cut in, standing up to walk over to her boyfriend. 

Alfie shook his head, pulling the girl into his arms before resting his forehead on hers. Evelyn's eyes instinctively shut at the feeling of him so close, her next words coming out as a mere whisper that Alfie would've missed if he didn't pay such close attention to her.

"I'll never get tired of hearing you call me your girl."

"Well, that's what yer' are," Alfie chuckled, finally pressing his lips to hers in a compassionate kiss. If someone told Alfie that in his future he would be decorating a Christmas tree for his girlfriend as well as teaching her about Jewish Hanukkah traditions – he would have laughed straight in their face. But here he was, loving every moment of it.

"How are the nightmares?" Alfie questioned, brushing Evelyn's curls behind her ears.

"Haven't come since you started letting Cyril sleep at the foot of the bed," Evelyn teased causing Alfie to let out a snort. "They're getting better. I don't see _him_ anymore."

The nightmares had only been part of the recovery for Evelyn. For months after her release, Evelyn would see the guard who crept into her cell each night to torture her. Evelyn's screams would wake her each time as Alfie was right beside her to coax her through them. It was something he did without question, knowing just how hard it was to suffer through the monsters who would appear in dreams – unable to escape them. 

It had been almost a complete year since Evelyn and her family were released from prison, and she hadn't seen them since. The memories still as clear as day in her mind; she could remember the utter despair she felt as she and Polly walked through the halls of the prison before it turned into relief when the crisp Birmingham air pricked at her skin.

She recalls the way solace washed over her as she found Alfie waiting outside for her – Tommy stood by his side, his head bowed in regret when he saw how sickly his aunt and sister looked. She remembers running straight into Alfie's awaiting arms, never wanting to let go and she _definitely_ remembers the fight that ensued between herself and her older brother.

 _"Good to see you unharmed," Tommy spoke, watching Evelyn pull away from Alfie. Vexation overcame Evelyn's body as stormed over to her brother, finger poking his chest_. 

_"Unharmed?! Do you really think I stand here unharmed?!" She bellowed, eyes wide as she held up her injured wrist. "Every night a guard would come into my fucking cell. A young man. I could never see his face but he would take all his anger out on the Shelby's princess, my face, my legs, my body – a new injury every fucking day. All because of you."_

Evelyn made sure that Polly got home safely, Michael promising his cousin that he would take care of the broken woman when he was struggling to pull himself together – and then Evelyn left. She packed all her belongings from the house on Watery Lane and followed Alfie to London; never looking back.

She didn't make any attempt to contact them, although Ada, John and Arthur would call her time from time to make sure she was okay. She listened as Ada told her about how much Karl had grown, and Arthur spoke about his new son, Billy. She let John rant about something Esme had done and how he felt like Polly was slipping away from the family.

But she didn't reply back when they asked her questions, nor did she agree to go to the Christmas party that John was holding. She was going to celebrate the holidays with Alfie and Cyril – her new family.

In that year, Evelyn and Alfie had taken upon getting to know each other; there wasn't a secret between the pair. Alfie spoke to Evelyn about the horrors he faced in the war, the desperate choices he had to make between taking out an enemy or saving one of his comrades – seeking comfort in her arms when his thoughts became too dark for him to handle on his own.

Evelyn told Alfie of the murders she had committed when she and Polly took over the business while her brothers were away; he held her as she cried about losing her family. They completed each other so fully. 

Pretty soon, Evelyn became restless staying cooped up in Alfie's house that she had moved into, while he worked each day. In true Shelby fashion, she bursted into his office – proclaiming herself his secretary. Alfie had no complaints, agreeing so long as she had at least one day away from during the week as well as on weekends. Today, was her off day. 

"I don't want to go to fuckin' work," Alfie complained, pressing a kiss to Evelyn's forehead. 

"You're the boss," Evelyn purred, raising up onto her tip-toes, pressing her lips beside his ear. "You can take the day off, spend it with me. In our bed, under the sheets. _Naked_."

Heat rose to Alfie's cheeks at her words; feeling as if he was a teenage boy again, getting excited at the prospect of sex. But, he pulled himself together and took a couple of reluctant steps away from the girl, holding out his arm towards her. _It was now or never,_ he thought.

She made him feel so much at once, and at one point it may have been overwhelming; but now Alfie knew that he would never have someone who makes him experience what she does in his lifetime again.

"Take my hand," he instructed, patiently waiting for her to question him – he knew the woman like the back of his own hand by now.

"Why?"

"I'm – fuckin' 'ell. I'm tryin' to ask yer' to marry me, so take my damn hand!" Alfie grunted. A perplexed sound came from Evelyn's throat, her jaw falling slack in shock. 

"You're fucking what?" 

"I'm trying to propose," Alfie moaned, worry seeping through his bones. "But yer' fuckin' ruining it."

Evelyn's dark eyebrows shot up in amusement to her boyfriends complaints, her thumb running over the back of his hand to calm him. "I'm ruining it?"

"Just say yes or no."

"You couldn't do this tonight, when we go out for dinner?" Evelyn laughed, placing her hands on Alfie's cheeks to ground him. "Yes."

"Yes?" 

"Yes, Alfred Solomons. It would be my pleasure to be your wife."

Alfie let out a relieved sigh, before feverishly placing his lips onto his new fiancés; Cyril barking as if to congratulate the pair. Evelyn's arms wrapped around Alfie's neck as he pulled the small ring out of his pocket – the diamond catching on the sunlight that came through their open blinds.

Taking Evelyn's small hand in his, Alfie slid the ring onto her finger with a mutter of "nothing but the best for my girl," when she gasped at how beautiful it was.

The pair held each other for a few more moments before Alfie declared that he really had to get to work before his men killed each other; there was only so much that Ollie could do to keep them in order. With a final kiss to her soon to be husbands lips, Evelyn passed him his coat off the edge of the single chair in the room; watching him leave.

~~~~~~~

Dread filled the air as Evelyn sorted through the mail; making a pile for Alfie and one for herself. There were a few letters Addressed to her from her brothers and Ada who now lived in America, but one remained without any writing on the envelope. 

Not knowing whether it was meant for her or Alfie, Evelyn grabbed the letter opener from beside her on the kitchen table; opening it. Pulling out a card, Evelyn's eyebrows knit together as she unfolded it – the hand printed in black ink causing her blood to run cold.

 _"Merry Christmas, to you and your family. From Luca Changretta, family and company,"_ penned on the other side. Evelyn's eyes focused on the way Changretta had underlined the word 'company' multiple times, her grip slipping as she let the card fall onto the table.

With a shaky breath, Evelyn ran her clammy hands down the length of her thighs before walking over to the telephone on the wall near the entrance to the kitchen; but she hesitated for a second. She needed to call Tommy and let him know about the card, but before she could pick the device up; the blaring ringtone sounded throughout the room.

Quickly picking the phone off the hook, Evelyn held it to her ear but didn't dare speak first; it was Tommy's husky voice that came through.

"Eve," he greeted, not bothering on other pleasantries. "We have a war on our hands. You need to come back to Birmingham." 

"I know Tom," Evelyn responded, voice barely above a whisper. "I got a black hand mailed to me."

"We all did. Bring your letter and Solomons. I'll be expecting you, tomorrow."

Without saying anything else, Tommy hung up on his sister who remained by the wall in shock; phone still in her hand before she slammed it back onto the receiver. 

A crack of thunder was almost signifying the start to another war that was inevitably going to end in disaster; Evelyn didn't even flinch.


	16. 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

**EVELYN** **OFTEN WONDERED** how much death she had encountered in her life. After her mother passed, it was as if the angel of death began to follow her family around and Evelyn was waiting for the day to come where it was her turn. 

The Shelby woman would often tell herself that she wasn't afraid of dying, she knew those around her would go on with their lives eventually and pretty soon she would be nothing but a mere imprint left on their lives. But although she didn't fear death, it didn't stop the suffocating grief that would wrap around her heart and constrict when someone she loved fell into the arms of death. 

The world around Evelyn crumpled when Polly called to break the news. She was packing the last of her belongings, getting ready to inform Alfie of why they needed to go back to Birmingham, instead the sound of the phone ringing paused her actions – Evelyn quick to pick up the device incase it was Tommy, instead it was her aunt.

_"Eve," Polly spoke hastily. "You need to come home now, it's John." Evelyn frowned._

_"What's John? Aunt Pol, what's going on?"_

_Evelyn could hear her aunt let out a shaky breath on the other end of the receiver, causing Evelyn to question her again; prompting Polly to speak._

_"He's gone, Eve. John's dead."_

Evelyn dropped the phone in shock as Polly's words tore through her like knives, her blood running cold. Her brother was _dead_. She didn't register that she had fallen to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably – it felt as if all of her breath had been sucked from her lungs and Evelyn clawed at her neck trying to make it stop. She _needed_ it to stop hurting. 

She was a shaking mess by the time Alfie had arrived home, he had plucked an arrangement of flowers on his way, pink roses, Evelyn's favourite. He was excited to celebrate their engagement with their friends at the pub, Ollie announcing it to the workers at the distillery once he saw Alfie walk in with a huge grin on his lips. Alfie had informed his right-hand-man of what he had planned the day before and Ollie was overly excited for his boss.

" _I'm going to do it," Alfie grinned, looking towards Ollie who tilted his head in a silent question. "I'm going to ask Eve to marry me."_

 _A glowing smile overtook Ollie's face as he let out a hurried, "that's amazing!"_

Ollie, along with the likes of the other workers in the distillery had become quite taken towards the Shelby woman. She made their days a little brighter whenever she took the time to just so much as say hello and they all appreciated how she was quick to put Alfie in his place; stopping him from yelling at them. 

They all loved Evelyn's spitfire attitude and enjoyed watching her yell at the men who tried to double cross Alfie. Amusement covered their faces when they watched her storm away from the men who got an earful from her and Alfie sorted them out for good, nobody having the heart to tell the Shelby woman that he had to intervene because the men were too proud to take a woman seriously; even one as dangerous as Evelyn Shelby.

Alfie was on cloud nine as he walked through the front door, he called Evelyn's name as he walked through the downstairs area, not catching sight of her in her usual seat by the window as he had been expecting. It wasn't until he heard the sound of Cyril whimpering and scratching at something upstairs that he got worried.

With a groan, Alfie pulled himself up the flight of stairs, not paying attention to the way his hips begged for him to slow down. His eyes found the tan fur of Cyril outside the bedroom, his paws clawing at the bottom of the shut door leaving scratches, he seemed to be in distress which had Alfie panicking. 

Dropping the roses in his hand, Alfie rushed over and nudged Cyril out of the way, pulling out his pistol. His hand turned the handle and pushed open the door, eyes scanning over the room for any form of potential danger, it wasn't until he saw her pushed against the side of the bed; head in-between her knees that Alfie registered the desperate cries. 

Falling to his knees beside her, Alfie gently took Evelyn's hands in his own; causing her head to snap up in his direction in shock – obviously not hearing him come in.

"Eve," he whispered, concern lacing his tone as she was quick to wrap her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. He studied the mess that their room was in, Evelyn's clothes thrown across the bed – a small bag packed and he felt a sense of dread overcome him. _Was she leaving him?_

"Love, what's goin' on?"

A strangled sob tore through Evelyn's lips, as she burried her head further into Alfie's neck. Alfie could only cradle the girl, his hands running up and down her back in an attempt to calm her down – it took a few minutes for Evelyn compose herself, focusing on the feeling of Alfie's heartbeat under her palm.

"He's dead," Evelyn stuttered, her hands rubbing her across her face to clear the tears that wouldn't stop falling. Alfie's hands covered her own, before he began to wipe them away.

"Who's dead?" He gently whispered, watching as Evelyn's bottom lip began to tremble. 

"John. My brother's dead."

The only thing Alfie could do was pull his girl into his arms, as her shaky hands pulled out the card in her pocket.

"That's not all, Alf. We were all sent a black hand, there's going to be another war."

The both of them sat on the floor for hours in silence, finding amenity in each other before Evelyn fell asleep with a heavy heart, nuzzled into Alfie's side.

~~~~~~~~~

Tears trailed down the apples of Evelyn's cheeks and onto the ground as she walked the glum streets of Small Heath, there was a darkness in the air around her – perhaps it was an omen to what she was about to do. The sharp wind clipped at her skin and stung her eyes as she approached her solemn family who were all stood around the wagon that held her older brothers body. 

With Alfie's hand held tight in her own, she tugged her black coat a little tighter to her body and hid her face in the matching scarf around her neck. The pair walked through the grass, Evelyn immediately reaching out for her aunt who headed towards her – the pair holding each other the same way they did that day they were spared from being killed. 

The small white dandelions in Evelyn's hand were crumpled, but she knew that John wouldn't love them any less as she placed them on the edge of the wagon. 

Evelyn found her way back to Alfie's side. He felt slightly uncomfortable being around people who he knew hated him, but he was there to support his fiancé and although he had never spent thorough time with John Shelby, the stories Evelyn told him on the way here were enough to make him appreciate the man for making her smile.

"We're like sitting ducks out here if the Wops come," Finn spoke to Charlie who sighed, the man only muttering about how Tommy wanted to the funeral to be in the open. The words sent a shiver across Evelyn's body.

"This is how John wanted to go, on the smoke," Tommy began, everyone turning their attention toward him. "We died together, once before. Arthur, me, Danny Whizz-Bang, Freddie Thorne, Jeremiah and John. We were cut off from the retreat. No bullets left. Waiting for the Russian cavalry to come and finish us off and while we waited, Jeremiah suggested we sing In The Bleak Midwinter. 

"But we were spared, the enemy never came and we all agreed that everything after that was extra and when our time came, we would all remember."

Polly's voice was soft, but held emotions that she couldn't bare to show. "You'd remember that God spared you, but what did you do with that extra time he gave you, eh Thomas?"

Evelyn reached out to link her left arm with her aunts right, both women breaking as they tried to anchor themselves.

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath at Polly's words, everyone falling silent as they waited for him to snap back. Instead, Arthur stepped forward and lit a match before tossing it to the logs beneath the wagon to catch fire. 

Evelyn let her tears fall silently, watching as the wagon came ablaze – a final goodbye to her brother, the family stood still until the recognisable sound of a gun shot sounded throughout the fields. Alfie instinctively pulled Evelyn behind him, his hand going to grab the gun in the waistband of his trousers. 

It was then that he noticed Evelyn holding her own pistol, her eyes scanning the surroundings around them as her back pressed against his. It wasn't until Tommy's booming voice called towards his family, telling them to be at ease. 

"Do not return fire!" He bellowed, Evelyn turning to point her gun towards her brother with shaky hands, Alfie quickly pushing it towards the ground. "I repeat! Do not return fire! Stand down, the men doing the firing are on our side!"

Polly looked towards her nephew, loathing being thread through her words. "You put us out in the open on purpose? You used John's funeral fire as a fucking beacon!" 

"What the fuck?" Evelyn hissed, looking towards her aunt who was clutching her chest in shock. "You used our brothers fucking funeral to begin your fucking war?!"

"We were never in any danger," Arthur grunted.

Polly's eyes widened at his words, "You set a trap!" 

Evelyn felt anger boil through her body as she looked at her brothers, they had a choice as to when they could lure their enemies out into the open to officially begin the war and they chose their brothers funeral – the one day that they could send him off in peace. 

"Are you fucking kidding me, eh?" Evelyn screeched, drawing attention to her. "This is John's fucking funeral! Are you fucking proud of yourselves?"

Tommy chose to ignore his sister and called for Finn to go light fires, watching as Alfie tugged Evelyn back before she could lunge for her older brother. Polly was quick to get into her nephews face.

"You set a trap and used us as fucking bait! Who's dead?"

"Our enemies," was all Tommy stated, everyone looking towards the sound of horses drawing near. 

"Thomas, who's dead?" Evelyn asked him the same question as Polly, finally walking towards her brother to stand next to her aunt. Tommy let out a groan, before looking towards his sister dead in the eye.

"You want to know who's dead, Eve? Pol? Two fucking local Italians heard about the vendetta, tried to make a fucking name for themselves. That's who."

Arthur spoke up next, "we got word to them about the funeral. The where, the when. Told them where to stand for the best shot." 

"And Aberama Gold would do the rest. That's the language of vendetta, they take one of ours, we take two of theirs." Tommy completed.

Polly could only shake her head in disappointment, watching as her nephew refused to meet her eye. Evelyn could feel the shock of the last two days events catching up to her, complete exhaustion flowing through her body as she reached behind her to Alfie who was quick to tug her back into his chest. 

Alfie had to bite his tongue from speaking up and giving the Shelby man an earful, he could see the line between right and wrong clear as day and Tommy had overstepped that line by miles.

"You used your own brothers funeral," Polly spat, pointing towards each member of their family. "When did we all vote on this, Tommy?"

Tommy turned his head towards Curly, taking a hit from his cigarette before spewing out orders – trying to ignore the disgusted glares that were getting sent his way.

"Curly get a boat to the docks to send the Gold's to the city," he instructed, Curly immediately springing into action. "And another one for _anyone_ who wants no more part of this, 'cause this is how it's going to be!" 

Polly tore her death stare off of Tommy, swiftly turning on her heels and walking away as Tommy called out to her. Arthurs wife, Linda, was the next to speak up against what had happened, telling Arthur that she wasn't going to stay any longer – the eldest Shelby man pleading for her to go to the house on Watery Lane, but she only ignored him. Ada was quick to snatch the key out of Arthurs hand and rush after the pregnant blond woman.

Evelyn rigidly stood in place trying to take everything that had occurred in, her eyes glued to the smoke that was emitting from the burnt wagon. Shaking her head, Evelyn clenched her jaw and grabbed Alfie's hand pulling him behind her as she followed after her sister-in-law.

"We're going _home_ ," she over pronounced the word towards Arthur and Tommy. "We'll see you there if you haven't been shot dead by the mafia."

It was only a couple of moments before Tommy called out to the pair, Evelyn's steps halting. 

"Congratulations sister," sarcasm evident in his voice, as he nodded towards the her hand clasped in Alfies; her ring glistening in the light. "When's the wedding?"

Evelyn only flipped him the bird and kept walking, a gawking Alfie at her side. 


	17. 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

**GROWING UP AUNT** Polly had always taught her nieces and nephews about their Gypsy roots, but one of the main tricks that Evelyn could remember her aunt Pol teaching her, was the meanings of her dreams. 

Being raised in a family of gangsters, they learnt pretty early on that a black cat dream often meant that there was a traitor close by – but for Evelyn, black cat dreams often appeared to her when someone she knew was going to come close to death or actually die. 

The night before Johns death Evelyn had a black cat dream – once she found out the news of her brothers passing, she thought that was it, but she was wrong. Everyday for a week after Johns funeral Evelyn continued seeing that damn cat whenever she closed her eyes – the dreams eventually becoming more and more vivid, causing Evelyn to wake up in a cold sweat. 

It wasn't until one afternoon when Evelyn was leaving the distillery after checking on the workers since Alfie was currently out of town in Leeds trying to make a deal with a potential new gang – that she noticed she was being followed by two men in coats. 

They watched her movements with precision, easily blending in with the crowd – if Evelyn wasn't taught how to notice someone following her by her brothers, she was certain that she wouldn't have realised until it was too late.

Speeding up her steps, Evelyn raced up the steps to hers and Alfie's house – shakily pushing the key into the lock, twisting the door knob, shouldering the door open and stepping through the threshold right when the men reached the front gate. Pushing back the curtain to the window next to the door on her right, Evelyn stopped Cyril who had come to greet his mother from coming any closer with a raise of her hand, the bullmastiff's fur sticking up in a defensive pattern immediately sensing that they were in danger. 

Peeking through the gap that she had made, Evelyn's eyes darted at the two figures watching as a third one came out from behind the apple tree in the front yard meaning that they already knew that she lived here, they were trying to scare her before doing anything. 

Trying to make out if she knew them when she caught sight of a young man that made her heart stop. It was him. The guard from when she was in jail. 

Evelyn felt her heart rate speed up and her stomach twist as she tried to recognise the man he was stood next to – the pair of them switching their pistols for automatics. With furrowed eyebrows Evelyn lifted her pencil skirt and pulled out the handgun that Alfie had made sure she always had strapped to her thigh when she went out with or without him.

_"Need to know yer' safe," he had told her, while he was knelt in front of her – helping her tighten the gun holster on her thigh. "Yer' about to become a Solomons and yer' the sister of Tommy fuckin' Shelby. Got to make sure you have a gun incase me or yer' fuckin' imbeciles of brothers aren't there."_

Silently thanking Alfie for being so protective of her, Evelyn made sure the gun was loaded before removing the safety. Six bullets against two machine gun rounds – her chances were the lowest they would ever be. She had to warn someone incase she didn't make it out of this.

A quickly as she could, Evelyn made her way into the kitchen – avoiding the windows, Cyril rushed after her. Reaching the phone, Evelyn quickly made work of dialling the only number that entered her mind. The sound of the front door reverberating from someone kicking it caused Evelyn to jump, while Cyril started to bark manically – taking a protective stance in front of her.

"Hello?"

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn's voice cracked when she heard the front door slam against the wall – tears began to swarm in her eyes. 

"Tommy, please hurry," Evelyn whispered, her right hand clasping her gun tightly as she pointed in the direction of the living room. "I- I don't think I'm going to make it. Please help me, Tom."

With that cryptic message, Evelyn hooked the phone back onto the wall, effectively cutting off their call just as the first man rounded the corner – his gun pointed straight towards her forehead. 

The grimy man grinned when he found the young Shelby, beginning to take purposeful steps towards her, only stopping when Cyril began to aggressively growl at him – foam spitting from the dogs mouth. 

"She's in here boys," he chuckled – voice thick with an obvious Italian accent. One of Changretta's men. Evelyn watched as the two young men she had seen when she peeked outside came into her view. The creepy Italian man took a few step backward so the other men could walk in front of him – before he mentioned leaving now they got what they came for.

It was silent for a few seconds, before the man that Evelyn couldn't put a name to looked down at Cyril who was protectively in front of Evelyn, not letting up. Rolling his eyes, he nudged the guard that Evelyn clearly remembered from her time in prison – gesturing towards the dog.

"Shoot it." 

Watching as the boy had no issue pointing his weapon towards Cyril, Evelyn's heart practically leapt out of her throat. 

"No!" She practically screamed, raising her hands in a submissive gesture. "I-I'll drop the gun. Just don't shoot him."

The man who had given the order to shoot, raised his eyebrows in a 'go on then' gesture – watching as Evelyn swallowed thickly before tossing the gun to the floor behind her, raising her hands back into the air.

A tense fog of danger filled the air around Evelyn as she became defenceless, she tried to show no fear on her features; but in reality Evelyn couldn't have been more afraid. There were four men in her house, each holding a machine gun, her fiancé was a whole three hours away from her and her brothers were another two hours away. She was all alone and had given up her main form of defence.

"You remember James, my brother, here," the unrecognisable man spoke towards her, placing a hand on the other boys shoulder. "Yeah, made him give you hell in that fucking cell. Couldn't pass up the opportunity when I heard that the Shelby's princess was in jail."

Evelyn's throat dried, as she hardened her gaze towards the two men – the man continued his speech. 

"You don't, however, remember me," he grinned, pointing towards the young Shelby – sarcasm obvious in his tone. "We met once before, at your families gala – the one that your sister-in-law died. _Tragic_." 

Evelyn racked her memory, she knew she had met the man once before but now it was becoming clearer. 

_"For you Miss. Shelby," he praised her name and if Evelyn wasn't paying close attention she wouldn't have noticed the slight tremor in his voice. Picking her glass up, Evelyn slightly tipped it to the man, watching the small beads of sweat begin to gather along his hairline. Evelyn brushed it off to him being nervous around a Shelby who he knew could definitely kill him if she wanted to._

_"Thank you, Mr..." She trailed off, waiting for him to introduce himself._

_The man was handsome and couldn't be too much older than Evelyn who was a mere twenty-three. His curly hair was unruly and stuck out in all directions and his brown eyes shone under the dim lights. Evelyn would've found him attractive, if she had time for romance._

_"Frank," the boy stuttered, his American accent noticeable as he nodded in her direction. "My name's William Frank, Miss."_

The bartender. What the fuck?

"Frank," Evelyn spoke up. "You're William Frank."

A spine-tingling laugh bubbled from the mans chest, before he jerkily pointed his gun towards Evelyn's chest – her breathing shallowing.

"You might remember who we are, but you still have no fucking clue why we're doing this, do you?" He taking a few steps closer, causing Cyril to let out a defensive bark. "Get that fucking dog out of here before I shoot it between the eyes."

Panic flooded through Evelyn's body, before she gripped Cyril's collar tugging him back while telling him that it was okay. The dog tilted his head at his mother, almost questioning her – before she led him through the back door that was at the back of the kitchen. The bullmastiff immediately beginning to paw at the door that she shut.

"There. He's gone – now what the fuck do you want?" Evelyn snapped, trying to ignore Cyrils panicked whimpers.

"Now now Miss Shelby, or is it Mrs Solomons?" James grinned from ear-to-ear. "You wouldn't remember, but a very long time ago you did something to our family that would change us forever."

Evelyn held her voice steady as she crossed her arms across her chest, looking the boy straight in the eyes – she wasn't going to be afraid of them. "Oh yeah? What did I fucking do?"

"You killed our father, Evelyn," William huffed, getting closer and closer to the girl with every word he venomously spoke. "Back when your brothers were in the fucking war, our father came to make a deal between the Peaky Blinders and us, the Americans. You put a fucking bullet through his head."

"I've killed a lot of men Mr. Frank. Your father isn't special on my list – I don't remember every man I've killed. You're not the first person to try to get revenge for something my family and I have done and you won't be the last."

If it were physically possible, Evelyn swore that she would've seen steam come out of both of the mens ears – instead William rapidly took the final step towards the girl, his hand gripping the back of her head so tightly that Evelyn got an instant headache – his cheek pressed against her own so she couldn't move away from him. 

Dropping his gun, William pulled a knife out of his coat pocket raising it in-between both of their faces. 

"This is the knife that my father was carrying the day you killed him," he spat through gritted teeth. Trailing the knife down Evelyn's face before he cut the fabric of her shirt and trailed it across her shoulder. "He brought a knife to a gun fight because he believed that the Shelby's weren't a fucking threat. Instead, you killed him, so now – now I'm going to make you pay."

"That's cute," Evelyn snapped right back, her voice slightly unsteady. "Go ahead, kill me – but do so knowing that my brother is on his way and when he realises what you've done, he's going to come after you and all of your men."

"Tommy Shelby doesn't scare us," James spoke up proudly, meeting Evelyn's eyes over his brothers shoulders.

"Well he should," Evelyn's voice came out dark, poison dripping from every word. "I'm the first to admit that my brother is as dumb as dog shit and there's a million things that pose a threat to that fucker, but you will not be one of them. When he comes for you, and he will come for you – you're as good as dead and even if he fails, you will then have to face the wrath of my husband and Alfie is relentless."

With a dark look, William let go of Evelyn's head and pushed her into the kitchen counter before thrusting the knife into her thigh – Evelyn letting out a loud cry. Twisting the knife, William rested his forehead against Evelyn's, his hot breath fanning across her pretty, screwed up features. 

"You're going to pay for your words, Miss Shelby," he taunted, pulling the knife from her leg before wiping the blood from the blade onto her cheek – letting her body fall to the ground in a heap as Evelyn's hands pressed harshly against her stab wound. "We're going to destroy you and your family. We're going to kill everyone you love."

The Frank brothers began to walk away from the girl, back towards the front door, before James stopped in his steps and turned back towards the girl. "Luca Changretta sends his wishes in a speedy recovery."

"Not killing me is going to be your biggest mistake," Evelyn grunted towards the pair, watching as they turned their backs on her and left her in a heap of her own blood and pain. 

"You're as good as dead, Shelby," Evelyn wasn't sure which one said that as her eye shut in pain. 

She was screwed.


	18. 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

**TOMMY SHELBY DIDN'T** scare easy. The man had been dragged through hell and back a thousand times – toughening him to extremes that he didn't even understand. Tommy Shelby had looked death in the eyes and told him to fuck off each and every time, but seeing his sister sitting in a pile of her own blood nearly sent him to an early grave.

Evelyn was barely conscious when Tommy pulled her slumped body to his chest, her bloody, weak hand gripping her brothers white sleeve. She could still feel a dull pain in her thigh, meaning that William hadn't done any proper damage to her leg and that she would eventually heal. But she had lost a lot of blood, even though she had torn her shirt to shreds in order to tie it around her wound.

"Eve," Tommy whispered, his hand pulling back the blood soaked fabric tie on her thigh to see her wound. She had stopped the bleeding for now, and Tommy let out a sigh in relief that his little sister was going to be okay. "C'mon, we've got to get you help."

Lifting his sister under her arms, Tommy dragged her into the living room and placed her into the nearest seat that just so happened to be Alfie's favourite arm chair – causing Evelyn to feebly protest.

"I'm gonna get blood on Alfs seat," she slurred, her head slumping against her brothers chest as her eyes shut. 

"Shit," Tommy cursed, pulling her away to try to shake her awake – the sounds of sirens echoing in the distance. Tommy had been prepared after he had received Evelyn's call, scared that he was going find her dead, calling an ambulance as soon as he arrived in London. "Eve c'mon, wake up or Alfie's going to blame me for the blood on his cream cushion." His joke falling upon deaf ears.

The sounds of footsteps entering the room caused Tommy to look around, sighing when he saw the doctors. His voice heavy and desperate.

"Help her. _Please_."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evelyn awoke with a loud groan, her body protesting against her movements. The smell of cigarette smoke filtered through her nostrils, as she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Her eyes searched around the room in confusion as to where she was, until they landed upon a familiar figure. 

Tommy.

Noticing his sisters alertness, Tommy tossed his cigarette to the ground and stubbed it out with his shoe. As he made his way from the door to her bed - recognition of a hospital room settled through Evelyn's mind as she remembered the events that led up to the current moment – causing her to shake her head.

"You shouldn't smoke in a hospital," Evelyn croaked out, her throat dry and voice hoarse. Tommy grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table, helping his sister sit up and drink. With an amused smile, Tommy shook his head at the fact that Evelyn could still joke after everything she had been through in the last few hours. 

"Wouldn't be smoking in a hospital if my sister didn't get herself stabbed, would I?" He sassed back, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed, before his expression became serious again. "Speaking of, you want to tell me who fuckin' stabbed you?"

"The names are William and James Frank," Evelyn groaned, turning to look towards her brother. "I killed their father and now they're working with the Wop's – except they only want revenge on _me_. They're not going to stop coming after me until I'm dead."

The Shelby siblings sat in silence, Tommy taking in his sisters words as he ran his thumb over his bottom lip. Evelyn waited for Tommy to speak up, not too sure where his mind was currently at. 

"Nobody knows you're in the hospital," Tommy muttered, Evelyn's ears perking up as she tilted her head in confusion – waiting for her brother to continue. "These men, you're certain they're not going to stop until you're dead?"

Evelyn nodded. "Certain. Said so themselves."

"Then you're dead," Tommy stated nonchalantly, causing Evelyn to choke on air. 

"What are you thinking, Tommy?"

"They're not going to stop until you're dead, they left you to bleed out thinking that nobody would reach you in time," Tommy began, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair. "So, we make them think that you died today – that you bled out right there in the kitchen from being stabbed."

"Are you fucking insane?" Evelyn snorted, running her hand down her face. "I can't make everyone think that I'm dead."

"And I can't have them attempt to kill you again and again until they succeed and you finally are!" Tommy exclaimed, running his hand through his hair. It was then that Evelyn had noticed that Tommy hadn't changed out of the clothes he must've found her in – her blood having stained his shirt and skin; and she tensed at the sight. 

"Tom-"

"Fake dead is better than real dead, Eve," Tommy raised his voice slightly, leaving no room for protest as he pointed towards her. "I'm not saying goodbye to another family member – especially not you. Not my baby sister."

"How would we even pull that off, Tommy? Alfie isn't going to stop seeing me because I have to hide in the shadows and pretend to be dead."

"Then we don't let him, or anyone else know that it's pretend," Tommy shrugged, causing Evelyn's stomach to drop.

"Tom, I can't do that to Alf. It would destroy him."

Tommy only rose to his feet, walking over to the phone beside the hospital door. "You don't have a choice, Evelyn. Where is he?"

With tears beginning to spill over her cheeks – Evelyn understood why Tommy was handing her the suggestion. The Frank's weren't going to stop coming after her until they were certain that she was six-feet underground; they wouldn't be able to pull this off without a genuine reaction from the Jewish gangster and her family.

Speaking through through small sobs, Evelyn couldn't even look at her brother who stood at the phone. "Leeds. H-he's doing business in Leeds."

Evelyn could only watch as her brother dialled and finally reached Alfie, hearing him tell her fiancé that he needed to get back to London and meet him at the hospital – her hand covering her mouth to stop her heartbroken cries from reaching the receiver. After hanging up on Alfie, Evelyn watched as Tommy called her aunt Polly, telling her the same news.

Placing the phone back onto the wall, Tommy walked over to his sister – taking her shaking hand in his before tugging her gently to his chest.

"I've got to keep you safe," Tommy whispered, wiping Evelyn's tears as they continued to flow. "They will understand, Eve. I've got to keep you safe."

Evelyn wasn't sure if Tommy was trying to convince her or himself that he was doing this to keep her safe – only one thought swimming around in her mind.

_'Alfie's never going to forgive me.'_


	19. 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

**TOMMY SHELBY WAS** nervous. He leant against the wall, ignoring all the questions thrown at him by his family. _Why is your shirt covered in blood, Thomas? Whose blood is it anyway? Why are we in London? Why are we in a hospital?_

He kept his mouth shut and face void of any emotion, waiting patiently for the last person – and particularly the most important person – to arrive, and when he did Tommy swore he could feel every hair on his body stand up in panic. 

He had to put on the best performance of his life, knowing that if anyone could see through his acts it would be either Polly or Alfie. 

The hallway was clear of people, Evelyn's doctor and nurses having been informed by Tommy of the plan – they didn't understand, but they also wouldn't question a Shelby. Tommy swore them to secrecy, the threat of killing their families and a couple of shilling enough to get all of them to agree. 

"Thomas, may I ask why on Earth you made me prematurely leave a business meeting to come to a fuckin' hospital," Alfie spoke gruffly, causing annoyance to roll off the Shelby's in waves. 

"Why the _fuck_ is he here?" Arthur spat in disgust towards Alfie, looking at his younger brother. 

"Because this news will probably hit him the hardest," Tommy began, looking towards Alfie who was taking in the wrecked state he was in. "It's about our sister, Eve."

Immediately, Alfie's eyes widened and he stood a little straighter. "What about her?"

"She had a run in with a couple of men seeking revenge for her killing their father – they teamed up with Changretta to track her down, finding her at your house," Tommy nodded towards Alfie whose whole stance showed worry. 

Polly was the one who interrupted with the question that Alfie couldn't seem to get out, "is she okay?" Taking a shaky breath, Tommy met his aunts scrutinising stare.

"She called me as they busted down the front door, when I got there she was in a pile of her own fuckin' blood – they fuckin' stabbed her and she had bled, a fuckin' lot. She couldn't stay awake when I pulled her into my arms. I had called for an ambulance when I got to London, they got her here as fast as they could but-"

Having enough, Alfie gripped the lapels of Tommy's vest – pushing him up against the wall. "Is she fuckin' okay?" He seethed. 

"No, Alfie. She's gone. Evelyn's dead."

Dropping Tommy in shock, Alfie ignored the sharp inhales from the Shelby family around him and gave Tommy one hard shove into the wall for good measure – pacing back and forth before pointing towards him. 

"Nah mate," Alfie shook his head, Tommy could practically see the fire burning behind the older mans eyes. "She's not fuckin' dead, innit? Which fuckin' room is my girl in?"

"Why the fuck would I lie to you about this Alfie," Tommy gritted his teeth, hating the sound of Finn and Ada letting out sobs and seeing Polly cry into the arms of Arthur who was trying to hold in his tears. "She lost too much blood. They couldn't save her – she's fuckin' dead!"

"Fuck!" Alfie clenched his fist, before placing his arm against the wall beside Tommy who let his family take in the fake news. Tommy heard Alfie let out a soft cry and reluctantly placed his hand on the mans shoulder in comfort, only for it to be roughly shrugged off.

With one dark look, Alfie stormed away from the broken Shelby family. He couldn't be there surrounded with people when he felt like he was suffocating. As soon as he got outside of the hospital Alfie walked into the alleyway next to it, leaning against the brick wall until he felt his legs give out and he slid down in a heap as he helplessly cried into his palms – letting himself have this moment of vulnerability.

He couldn't believe that his girl was gone. She was dead and he wished he had stayed in London with her that day. He wish that he had held her a little tighter the night before he left, told her he loved her more often, and married her sooner rather than having the both of them wait for ' _the right moment_.'

He wished he could've saved her.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Funerals were almost a common occurrence for the Shelby family, they often lost more than they gained and those loses tended to be the ones they loved. 

Evelyn had always said that she wanted to have a proper funeral in a church rather than go off in the smoke like the rest of her family. Nobody initially understood why she insisted on be buried, but now they did – it provided closure. The knowledge that they could visit any time they wanted to talk to someone, even if she couldn't respond supplied a comfort that they wouldn't receive the conventional way.

_"Even in death, she's putting us before herself," Ada had mumbled as they all stood around her grave after her funeral, the vardo with all Evelyn's belongings still burning in the distance._

Alfie hadn't brought himself to go to the burial, he couldn't watch them put the love of his life in the ground – but he had been to visit her every day since for three weeks, deciding to stay in Small Heath for a while so he wouldn't be far from her. 

"Hey angel," Alfie whispered as he took a seat on the grass, placing the new bouquet of roses he had purchased on the way to visit Evelyn next to the multitude of others that people had left on the dirt. "I know you would curse me for buying yer' fuckin' roses, _'they're a bloody cliché Alf'_ , you would say, yer' would. But you would have to forgive me and accept 'em because I'm the one who bought 'em for you."

Alfie's heart broke at the fact that his girl didn't reply back to him – even though he knew it wasn't physically possible; a lone tear sliding down his cheek before he harshly wiped it away.

"I'll find 'em," he stated, his gaze hardening as he stared out into the fields that Tommy had told him you would go horse riding in. "I'm going to find those fuckin' pieces of no good men and kill every last one of 'em for takin' you away from me before I could officially make you my fuckin' wife. You hear me, love? I'll make 'em pay."

Alfie sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the birds chirp from the trees around him – the cold wind chipping at his skin through his thin shirt. Alfie knew that to everyone around him he looked like a mess, after telling his men the news that you were gone Alfie had vanished, leaving the distillery in the hands of Ollie while he grieved in fucking Birmingham of all places.

The sound of footsteps approaching perked at Alfie's ears but he didn't turn around to see whose they were – if it was the enemy, they could gladly take him out now; put him out of his misery of having to live in a world without Evelyn Shelby. Instead, he watched Polly Gray take a seat on the dirty ground next to him, her sunglasses obviously covering up her bloodshot eyes. 

The pair don't speak as they sit there, next to the girl that they once both would've risked their lives to save – it was Polly who broke the tranquil, yet tense quiet first. 

"You haven't stopped waiting for her, have you?" Polly's tone was soft, not expecting a reply from the Jewish gangster who she never would've been caught dead having a civil conversation with. "Your heart still skips a beat when the phone rings and you get that sinking feeling when it's not her who's calling. You're still waiting. You'll always be waiting, but she wont come back and you know it."

Alfie didn't respond, how could he when both he and Polly knew that she was right? 

"I lost a niece and a nephew in the span of a couple of weeks," Polly continued, her voice signalling that she was close to crying but wasn't going to let herself.

Running a hand through his beard, Alfie finally turned his head to look at the older woman, noticing just how tired and broken she was. She was strong, Alfie knew that from the way Evelyn spoke about her aunt, and he was starting to think he didn't have half the strength Polly has.

"Yer' know," Alfie began, his voice void of almost all emotion. "When I imagined her coming down the aisle, it was in this beautiful dress – her hair done up in that messy but presentable style that she does. She would have this radiant smile on her face and I, being the lovesick fool I am, would burst into tears at the sight of her looking so beautiful. I didn't picture her comin' down the aisle in a fuckin' casket."

Polly took a deep breath at Alfie words, her hand reluctantly reaching over to rest upon his right hand that was still gripping the bundle of roses. The reassurance that they both weren't alone in the loss of someone they loved deeply needed in that moment.

"I've promised to find the men who've done this," Alfie muttered, still slightly reserved and hesitant in talking to Polly – but Alfie knew that out of everyone in Evelyn's family; if there was someone she would've told him to trust it would be her aunt Pol.

Nodding once, Polly squeezed Alfie's calloused hand. "Are you ready for another war?"

"The same war – just a different enemy," Alfie concluded, moving to stand up, gripping his cane in his left hand, his hips protesting against moving. "She would never shut up about you, you know?" 

Polly's eyebrows rose at Alfie's statement, before she followed his lead and stood – brushing the dirt off her pants. 

"The first time we met she brought up how you taught her which artery to stick a fuckin' fork in – sounded an awful lot like a threat" Alfie chuckled fondly at the memory, shaking his head as he watched the tears finally leave Polly's eyes. "She would find any reason to bring yer' up. Couldn't get 'er to shut up about how amazin' 'er aunt Pol is, I couldn't."

"I still don't trust you," Polly softly spoke smiling sadly towards Alfie, watching as he began to walk away from her. "If Eve was still here, I would've probably helped Tommy break you two up before it came time for you to get married. But, I don't think that girl has loved anything as much as she loved you, you should know that."

Slowing down, Alfie looked at Polly one more time.

"Understood, yeah," he shrugged. "Maybe one day I'll see 'er again, because if the world thinks it can keep a love like ours apart, then it hasn't been paying attention innit? Because there is nothing. Nothing. I wouldn't do just to stand by her side one more time – you tell Thomas that too, aye."

Walking away from a seldom Polly Gray, both of them knew that was the last time they would speak to one another without threats to kill.


	20. 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

**THE SOUND OF** ceramic smashing against the floor is a sharp contrast against the gentle waves that crashed outside the house in Margate – a beat of silence passes before the sound reoccurs. 

Alfie hisses when piece from the vase he threw against the wall flings back towards him – slicing a small part of his cheek. He ignores the sharp sensation that's followed by of a drop of blood sliding down his face, blending with the thick tears. 

In the corner of the room, slightly hidden by the large, red sofa sits Cyril – the bullmastiff watching his father break down. Alfie had just got in from a meeting with Luca Changretta back in Camden Town, the man tempting and persuading him until the Italian gangster agreed to Alfie's terms and conditions – the deal made. 

Signed, sealed and fucking delivered.

Falling into the rocking chair in the corner of the room – Alfie gently rubbed his temples as Cyril trotted over, placing his head into the mans lap; Alfie's hand instinctively beginning to pat him.

"I made a mistake," his gruff voice sounded through the area as he talked to the dog. "And somehow, yeah, all I can think about is how disappointed _she_ would be in me. Right, how the best years of my life seemed to have just been swallowed up. But this pathetic life, yeah, this shit storm we call life keeps asking me for more. To _do_ more."

Shutting his eyes, Alfie let his head fall back against the headrest of the chair in exhaustion. Five months without her and all he could still think about is how he had failed in doing everything he had promised. Continuing to run his hands through Cyril's fur, Alfie listened to the waves crash against each other – the occasional ship horn being heard in the distance as he tried to calm his racing mind with thoughts of _her_. 

He thought about how she lit her cigarettes when she got nervous – her hands shaking like the way the Earth did after a particularly loud burst of thunder. He thought about how she sung along to the songs he would play on Sunday mornings, her hair a birds nest as she danced across their living room clad in nothing but a pair of stockings and his shirt. 

How no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop her from biting her nails when she got lost deep in thought, or how after they fought she would always tell him to sleep in their bed – making sure his hip didn't get worse from sleeping on the couch, taking care of him even if she was fed up with his brooding behaviour.

He thought about her eyes that resembled the deep blue of the ocean he loved so much. The ocean where lovers hearts go to drown and he would gladly throw his into the deepest parts just to have her again. The same seas that are wide and where monsters are formed.

How nothing would compare to the monster he would become when he finally made those who took her from him feel every ounce of pain he felt the day that Thomas Shelby had uttered those two words to him.

_She's dead._

Because for her, he would fight the devil with his bare hands. For their lost love. For her.

~~~~~~~

Evelyn hated being cooped up. The Shelby girl had the most traveller blood in her body than any of her siblings, often loving to run across the fields barefoot – never being able to stand still for more than a couple of hours.

When she turned eleven, her uncle Curly gifted her a young, black mare by the name of Penny Dreadful. The horse was a terror, it refused to be ridden and by result many thought that she had been cursed from the moment she was born. 

When Tommy had met the mare, he wanted to shoot her. 'P _ut it out of its misery, Curly,'_ was what he had told the enthusiastic man – but Curly refused, telling Tom that she just needed the right riding partner.

Evelyn was just that.

From the moment that Tommy had removed the blindfold after walking her into the stables, Evelyn fell in love with Penny. It took the girl and horse a while to bond, but pretty soon Evelyn had the mare saddled up and was taking her for rides in the open fields that she used run barefoot across. Sometimes Tommy would join her, his own filly racing alongside hers.

Her family would watch with bemused expressions as Evelyn would enter the house after a ride with mud covering her legs and grass in her hair. Polly would immediately fuss about her making a mess of the floor – but hearing the energetic stories of how she had taught Penny how to jump over the small brick wall was worth it.

Evelyn would kill to be eleven again, riding Penny while the wind blew in her hair. Instead, she was stuck inside all day and all night for the past five months, waiting for her brother to tell her _when_.

Tommy had allowed Evelyn to live with him at arrow house, knowing that nobody would be over to visit anytime soon while also being assured that Changretta and his men had no idea about the house. They had successfully pulled off her death, people getting word to Luca that the young Shelby girl was out of the picture, which was effectively passed onto the Frank brothers who were awfully chuffed to hear the words Evelyn Shelby and dead in the same sentence.

Making her way down to the kitchen, Evelyn busied herself with making a cup of tea. Tommy had fired most of his maids for safety, minus Dana who was in charge of making sure Evelyn was comfortable and looked after while he was out doing business – most of the time the Shelby girl shrugged off Dana's help and did the task herself. 

Her thigh still ached, but her stab wound was fully healed – a nasty scar left in its place. Mindlessly running her left thumb over the wound, Evelyn barely heard the sound of the font door opening or the footsteps that had entered the kitchen – too lost in her own thoughts. She paid no mind to the heat from her tea that was burning her right hand until Tommy was stood opposite her, taking the cup from her grasp before placing it on the counter.

"You alright?" Tommy grunted out, studying his sister who offered him a shy smile and shrug. He continued solemnly, "I saw Alfie yesterday."

Taking a sip of her tea, Evelyn couldn't stop the way her heart ached at the sound of Alfie's name, urging Tommy to go on.

"There's going to be a boxing match later this evening. Alfie's nephew Goliath is going to fight Bonnie Gold."

"All while I'm still stuck in this huge house trying to entertain myself," Evelyn mused.

Tommy only reached behind Evelyn into the little tin full of biscuits, picking one out, before looking down at his sister. "Actually, I think it's time." He shrugged. 

"Tom I don't-"

"James is set to fight Bonnie after Goliath. His brother, William, is going to be there too, they believe that we are fools and trust them. That we have an alliance in return for James being able to compete. We take them out tonight, you will be safe."

Evelyn's throat tightened at the possibility, her mind racing almost as fast Penny when she allowed the mare to run. 

Pouring the rest of her tea down the sink, Evelyn sighed and ran her hands over her face a couple of times before looking towards Tommy who was nonchalantly chewing his biscuit. Seeing the hesitance in his sisters eyes, Tommy sighed before placing a comforting hand on her tense shoulders.

"He hasn't stopped grieving you," Tommy tried to ease Evelyn who wasn't allowing her tears to spill. "I need you to come tonight, Eve. I have room to believe that Alfie is going to double-cross us."

"You know that seeing me is going to stop his plan."

Nodding firmly, Tommy squeezed Evelyn's shoulder. "He's lost himself. Spent weeks in Small Heath visiting your grave before he made his way back to London. I've had correspondence with Ollie, says Alfie hasn't been the same."

"He thinks I'm fucking dead Tommy," Evelyn shook her head, pulling away from her brothers touch. "He's going to get himself killed because of me."

"No Eve. He's going to get himself killed because he makes stupid decisions. You're going to stop him."


End file.
